The Prostitution Industry: Breaking Its Back!

Over the last few years I have come across arguments supporting the legalization of prostitution industry. The arguments could be about making the trade safer or it could be about bringing some social respectability and acceptance to sex workers.

I have quite the opposite view (I give my reasons below). While implementing a well thought out and adequately funded rescue and resettle effort for women forced into prostitution (discussed below) I believe we should outright make it one of our law and order system's central agenda to break the prostitution industry's back, to shut down each and every brothel in the country and to treat prostitution as much of a crime as dealing drugs. (This will of course require us to rapidly create alternate livelihood opportunities for women who are rescued from prostitution as well as single mothers who are grappling with severe poverty. I give some suggestions below.)

I have two reasons to hold this view:

1. The prostitution industry uses human trafficking for sexual exploitation as a feeder. Children as well as grown men and women are kidnapped, sold and exploited in bondage and captivity in very very large numbers all across the world. A simple google search will shed light on how serious this problem is. And this will continue till the prostitution industry itself is allowed to continue. People will be forcibly sold for sexual exploitation till there is a market and demand for it. We need to shut down the market itself.

2. One can then ask: What about women who want to willingly engage in sex work as a profession? To answer this, I ask myself a simple question: "Would I ever feel morally ok if my son or daughter visited sex workers?". The answer is a clear no. It is my hope that most of the society around me feels the same way. And if that is the case, I don't think we should go down the road of giving legal sanction to what we are not morally ok with. Because the minute we give something legal sanction in society, that very moment we give the same activity our moral sanction also.

[And what kind of a woman allows a thousand men to undress and grope her for a few pieces of silver and gold? Far more beautiful are those women who, with their self respect and dignity intact, clean and mop floors for a living! And in the absence of even that opportunity at times, simply stretch their hands out for some help from fellow human beings! Far far more beautiful are they! Far far more beautiful!]

Shutting down the prostitution industry of course would require us to rapidly create alternate livelihood opportunities for women who are rescued from prostitution as well as single mothers who are grappling with severe poverty. I thought through the issue and tried to come up with a proposal that can address the economic as well as integration in society aspects.

Here's what I propose:

Let every state government commit to opening the following two institutions in every city:

1) A completely free residential "subjects + skills" school (all expenses covered: stay + clothes and food + medical care) where those rescued from the sex trade, single mothers grappling with severe poverty, and their children, receive quality education till 12th grade along with being taught a range of skills such as plumbing, electric works, driving, tailoring, making cottage industry items, etc.

2) A services and cottage industries business establishment where those trained as above are given meaningful employment on a nominal government salary (say Rs. 20,000/- per month) for a period of say five years. This period can give the required buffer and stability for a transition to independent living.

For those helped as above who wish to study further and obtain college education alongside Point 2 above, let them get it free of cost at government colleges / universities.

Let the above primarily be done by every state government in each state but if there is a need for more funds, let the central government also pitch in to some extent.

If we can do the above, along with incessant crackdowns on every known brothel or hub for sex trade and each and every lead that the police gets, I think we will break the very back of pimps, traffickers and those amongst us who would exploit the poor and helpless in such a manner.

I believe that the plan I have proposed above would be in the best interests of society at large as well as those sex workers who are in the trade because of poverty or helplessness or being trafficked but would rather not be in the profession.

As for those who are in the profession not because of any helplessness but just for quick money, as I have said above: Let us treat them no different from drug dealers and let law take its course.

PS: I don't care how other countries might think about this issue. I would rather we think through things ourselves and do what we feel is right by our conscience.