Indian sex workers take 'Kama Sutra' lessons

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Indian sex workers take 'Kama Sutra' lessons

By Krittivas Mukherjee, Indo-Asian News Service

Kolkata, Aug 10 (IANS) Sex workers in West Bengal are turning to lessons

from an ancient Indian treatise on sex to tackle customers who don't want to

use condoms.

A voluntary organisation is now holding a workshop here to teach sex workers

how not to lose difficult customers while ensuring safe sex.

" We are teaching the girls how to ensure premature, yet satisfying

ejaculation without intercourse, " says Rajyashree Choudhuri of the Institute

for International Social Development, which is conducting the workshop.

Choudhuri relies on the suggestions from what is possibly the world's oldest

sex book, " Kama Sutra " , to teach the girls the " art of high pleasure without

intercourse " .

" The 'Kama Sutra' is a rich reservoir of techniques for a satisfying sexual

experience without intercourse.

" Several aspects of sex like foreplay, touching and postures can actually be

more pleasurable than intercourse, " says Choudhuri.

The organisation thought of the workshop because many sex workers are forced

by their customers to have intercourse without condoms, and they can't

refuse because of financial considerations.

" Many customers think using a condom is unbecoming of their manliness. They

insist on sex without condoms. And we are forced to oblige because if we let

him go, someone else will take him, " says Sandhya, a participant.

Another participant, Malati, says: " We need the money. So we agree to have

unprotected sex even though we know it can be dangerous. "

Participants at the workshop, held in the southern neighbourhood of

Gariahat, say they will benefit from the " new lessons in pleasure " .

The state's AIDS control officials are backing the workshop that has so far

trained about 100 sex workers in two batches. Choudhuri plans to conduct the

workshop for six months.

West Bengal has about 40,000 brothel-based sex workers in 254 red light

districts. The city alone has about 20,000 of them.

Most sex workers have been insisting on the use of condoms following a

strong 'safe sex' campaign by their umbrella organisation, Durbar Mahila

Samannoy Committee (DMSC).

The DMSC also guards against the entry of minors into flesh trade and

spearheads a demand for granting industrial workers' rights to sex workers.

Last year, 1,137 HIV cases were reported in West Bengal. Over 600 cases have

been reported this year, with most victims acquiring the virus through

unprotected sex.

--Indo-Asian News Service