whether to legalize prostitution in India or not

1. LEGALISINGPROSTITUTIONIN INDIA

2. GROUP : A2
MENTOR : Mrs. Anita N
GROUP MEMBERS : Lirin Baby
Ajith Thambi
Kavita S kumar
Anita S
Amrita C J
Geevargees M A

3. INTRODUCTION
'Prostitution forms an age-worn but interesting chapter
in the history of civilization and presents an important
problem for modern society. All civilized countries
have offered solutions, none of which are satisfactory,
and only a few of them have even modified its baneful
influence'
--Arnold Clarkson1

4. PROSTITUTION
 Prostitution is commonly referred to as "the oldest profession",
which is ,unfortunately, far from an exaggeration.
 Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual relation
in exchange for payment or some other benefit.
 Prostitution is sometimes described as commercial sex.A person who
works in this field is called prostitute
 Prostitution is a branch of sex industry.
 Status of prostitution varies from country to country, some country
said it as a crime while in the other hand there are country regulated
that as profession

5. TYPES OF PROSTITUTION
• Street
• Brothels
• Escorts
• Sex tourism
• Virtual sex
• Gigolo

6. CONTINUE…
 Street :
 In street prostitution, the prostitute solicits customers while waiting at
street corners, sometimes called "the track" by pimps and prostitutes
alike. They usually dress in skimpy, provocative clothing, regardless
of the weather.
 Brothels:
 Brothels are establishments specifically dedicated to prostitution,
often confined to special red-light districts in big cities. Other names
for brothels include bordello, whorehouse, cathouse, knocking shop,
and general houses.
 Scorts:
 In escort prostitution, the act takes place at the customer's residence or
hotel room (referred to as out-call), or at the escort's residence or in a
hotel room rented for the occasion by the escort (called in-call).

7.  Sex tourism:
 Sex tourism is travel for sexual intercourse with prostitutes or to
engage in other sexual activity.
 Virtual sex:
 Virtual sex, that is, sexual acts conveyed by messages rather than
physically, is also the subject of commercial transactions.
 Gigolo:
 A man who has a continuing sexual relationship with and receives
financial support from a woman. A man who is hired as an escort or a
dancing partner for a woman.

8. HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION IN INDIA
 The evolution of India’s nuanced legal stance on prostitution
can be traced back to the Brahaminical period of 1500 B.C.
when prostitution was an integral part of Indian society.
 Beginning in the 1850s perceptions regarding the morality of
prostitution changed, leading to an increased criminalization
of the practice.
 Simultaneously, the British saw prostitution as an evil
necessary to satiate the “natural sexual desire” of their troops
and sought to control the practice by ordering that Indian
women be available in the cantonments for soldiers, thus
giving birth to the brothel system and red-light districts that
exist in urban India today.
.

9. CONTINUE…
 In order to protect soldiers, the British administration
regulated the health of prostitutes through medical inspections
resulting in arrest and confinement for those who were found
to be infected with disease.
 Later requirements included registration of all prostitutes with
the Superintendent of Police, mandatory weekly health
checkups, and the issuance of identity cards to all prostitutes.
 These measures, passed under the guise of public health
necessities, were driven not by an interest in maintaining the
health and welfare of prostitutes, but rather were meant to
protect clients.
 Such edicts laid the foundation for the prostitution system that
exists in India today and shed light on the discrepancies that
underlie current legislation

10. FACTS ABOUT PROSTITUTION
 In India close to three million women work as prostitutes, of which 1.2
million are below 18. The number of prostitutes rose by 50% between
1997 and 2004.
 The red light district in Bombay generates at least $400 million a year in
revenue, with 100,000 prostitutes servicing men 365 days a year ,
averaging 6 customers a day, at $2 each.
 About 5,000-7,000 Nepalese girls are trafficked to India every day.
100,000-160,000Nepalese girls are prostituted in brothels in India. About
45,000 Nepalese girls are in the brothels of Bombay and 40, 000 in
Calcutta
 Sonagachi in Kolkata, Kamathipura in Mumbai, G.B. Road in New Delhi,
Reshampura in Gwalior, Budhwar Peth in Pune , host thousands of sex
workers & are the famous red light centers in India.

11. CONTINUE…
 There are more than 100,000 women in prostitution in Bombay, Asia’s
largest sex industry center. 90% of the100,000 women in prostitution in
Bombay are indentured slaves.
 In Bombay, children as young as 9 are bought for up to 60,000 rupees,
orUS$2,000, at auctions where Arabs bid against Indian men who believe
that sleeping with a virgin cures gonorrhea and syphilis.
 Mumbai and Kolkata(Calcutta) have the country's largest brothel based
sex industry, with over 100,000 sex workers in Mumbai. It is estimated
that more than 50% of the sex workers in Mumbai are HIV-positive. In
Surat, a study discovered that HIV prevalence among sex workers had
increased from 17% in 1992 to 43% in 2000.
 A major part of this industry is controlled by underworld mafias, Pimps
(Bharwas, Dalaal), Middle man, Agent, corrupted police etc. this is
because of no legal acceptance of this profession.

12. CAUSES OF PROSTITUTION
 Ill treatment by parent
 Bad company
 social customs
 Lack of recreational facilities
 Economic causes poverty and economic distress
 Ignorance and acceptance of prostitution
 Early marriage and desertion
 Lack of sex education , media

13. IMPACT OF PROSTITUTION
 Social isolated
 Violence from the side who against the prostitution
 It increases :-
 child trafficking
 STD/HIV diseases
 women harassment
 sexual violence
 Drug addiction

14. PROSTITUTION LEGAL STATUS IN INDIA
 In India It is a “ Sexual Intercourse between socially inacceptable
unions, and is punishable for 3 years / 2000 ` fine under “Immoral
Traffic Prevention Act which is a 1986 amendment to the primary law
passed in 1950 {known as the Immoral Traffic (Suppression) Act}. If a
woman uses attributes of her body voluntarily then it’s legal and
allowed. But the law prohibits/criminalize-
 Prostitution anywhere near a public place
 Publication of phone number of call girls
 Organized form of prostitution i.e. a brothel, pimps, Prostitution
rings etc.
 A sex worker being below 18 years of age
 Procurement and trafficking of women, children

15.  How many of you think Prostitution
Should NOT be legalized ?

17. WHY SHOULD WE LEGALIZE & REGULATE IT?
 By legalizing, government can earn a decent tax on this revenue,
which will be beneficial to the country’s economy
 Legalizing will ensure a secure & safe future for sex-workers, their
children and those who’re involved in this.
 Government can implement some rules which may include:
 Registration of each sex-worker
 Licensing of brothels, Dalals, removal of middle-man
 Mandatory checks in order to ensure safety for the sex-workers
 Girl/child less than 18 years can be prevented from entering into
this profession.
 These measures will lead to decrease in:
 STD/HIV Disease spread
 Child trafficking,
 women harassment, sexual violence, rape etc

18. WHY SHOULDN’T WE LEGALIZE IT?
 To legalize prostitution would lead to gender inequality.
 Also it’s not a profession that should be promoted in India. Because many of
the sex-workers choose this as an ‘Absence of choice’. Due to drug addiction,
economical problems etc.
 By legalizing we would be declaring this as a profession to earn that is
hazardous to higher educational goals of young generation.
 If we consider the handsome amount of tax that government will get after
legalizing it, one question opposes this source of income: “Will ‘they’ pay tax
after the legalization?”
 Spread of contagious diseases, High risk of exposure to street crimes, unsafe
sex, and unemployment.
 Many legally young women would see this as a fast way to earn money .
 Increase in Divorce rates, hidden-illegal street prostitution.
 It will be like putting a band-aid on a wound which will further expand this
industry instead of curbing it.
 Legalizing prostitution will provoke the religious sentiments of Indian culture.

23. CONCLUSION
 There is a very strong need to treat the sex industry as any other
industry and empower it with legal safeguards, which would rid
this workplace of exploitative and unhealthy practices. what is
required is a practical approach. By according to legitimacy to
the sex workers,millons of women who enter into this trade to
feed their families will be freed from the clutches of pimps and
brothel owners. The rising number of AIDS cases in India and
the number of innocents being forced in to the flesh trade are
alarming. The time has come for lawmakers to be more serious
about this issue. Legalization is the answer.