Late Saturday evening, social media was bombarded by photographs of the eleven women who were arrested on suspicion of engaging in prostitution in the capital complex. Looking at the photos of the women, citizens were left aghast because it is clearly a violation of individual rights and they (prostitutes) can in no way be treated at par with your average criminal. On the contrary, these women looked more like victims of circumstances and one can’t help but feel sorry for them.

The leakage of the photos puts a big question mark on the functioning of the police and they must be answerable for such a huge breach which has the potential to jeopardize these women’s life as the police by its own admission has said that they did not catch the women in ‘compromising situations’ but arrested them on suspicion. Such insensitive behaviour doesn’t augur well and is unexpected from the women police which has been set up to handle women related issues.

As far as laws are concerned, prostitution in India is not illegal per se. However, Indian penal code states that certain activities related to prostitution are contraventions of law. 

Police must not interfere or take criminal action against adult sex workers “participating with consent”, recommends a Supreme Court panel looking for measures to ensure better work conditions for prostitutes and protect their rights. Since voluntary sex work is not illegal and only running the brothel is unlawful, the sex workers should not be arrested or penalised or harassed or victimised, the panel says.

Although prostitution is unwanted but truth is there are many women sustaining families from such earnings. The majority of India’s estimated 1.2 million prostitutes are forced into the trade by crushing poverty.

Police are often accused of crossing the limit in their efforts to enforce anti-trafficking laws, clamping down on prostitutes and clients having a liaison conducted in private with consent between the two.

The motive behind such ‘crackdown’ must translate into measures for rehabilitation of sex workers who wish to leave prostitution so that they can live with dignity and to provide them alternate livelihood platforms. But by making their photos public, we are increasing the ‘victimization’ of these women including their dependent family members who now are more vulnerable to societal boycott and ridicule.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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