Prostitutes no longer criminals
If the proposed amendments to the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act of 1956 are passed, prostitutes would no longer be treated as criminals.
However their profession would still continue to be treated as an illegal one.
Fifty years after India enacted a legal framework to check prostitution, Government has finally decided to go for a radical change in the law.
The Immoral Traffic Prevention Act of 1956 is being amended and sex workers will now be treated as victims and not as offenders. They cannot even be asked to vacate the property they reside in.
“It’s not legalising, it’s decriminalising of the prostitutes. Most of them are in it not by choice,” says Chairman, Centre for Social Research, Ranjana Kumari.
The oldest profession in the world still continues to be illegal in India, depriving prostitutes of their legal rights, and thus making them vulnerable to exploitation.
Given the socio-cultural impediments, legalizing prostitution might be suicidal for the administration at this juncture.
But with this creative middle ground adopted by the Goverment through the proposed amendment, the prostitutes, particularly those who have been pushed into this profession against their will, might get some legal rights.
Women who have entered the profession voluntarily, or those who wish to stay, might have to wait a little longer.
One step at a time, I guess.
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September 5, 2007 at 8:58 am
This is a long time coming. Next step is to legalize the sex trade so that the govt can bring it under taxation. Regulate the industry. Give them some sort of IDs and get them to insist on safe sex and compulsory medical checks.
September 5, 2007 at 9:22 am
I agree with Liju
thanks for this informative post
September 5, 2007 at 12:24 pm
The new act proposes to go after the costumer. Considering that 60 percent enter the trade by their own fair judgement for financial motives, this act would further drive the market underground, The new act instead proposes to go after the costumer. Considering that 60 percent of the trade is run by non-trafficked individuals, wouldn’t this act be unfairly hurting their trade. Also it is only natural that an industry adapt to the needs of its costumer, this trade more so. Which means we will be effectively driving the industry deeper underground, which is the way the market will respond to protect the consumer, of course at an increased risk to the prostitutes themselves. Ineffectively half hearted at best, harmfully retrograde at worse.
September 5, 2007 at 12:26 pm
And yes, that was customer, not costumer
The things I crank out!
September 5, 2007 at 3:58 pm
In Scandinavia prostitution used to be legal. In some of the countries street prostitution was made illegal because its great proplems. Sweden has prohibited buying (but not selling) sexual services and in other countries there are debate on the same issue.
The direction is diverse and reasons are that the proplems with prostitution don’t vanish by making it legal, although it is in nobodys pest interest to harass prostitutes that are on the pusiness against their will. It just makes traffikers job easier.
There is also the tax question. In that sphere prostitution is hardly ever legal, even where it is not prohibited.
September 5, 2007 at 4:03 pm
of course not pest but best intrests
September 7, 2007 at 4:24 am
@Anonymi and Raindreamer
You guys should start using Firefox — it has inbuilt spell checker
September 26, 2007 at 2:36 pm
i heard somewere in my economics class tat prostitutes are duly payin their taxes……
is that true????
wat do u feel????