Re: The raid/rescue saga in Sangli, western Maharashtra ends!

[Guest guest]

Dear all

The raid and rescue saga in Sangli is a terrible saga

and I send my sympathies to all the women who had to

endure this terribel ordeal.

Unfortunatley it is another example of the misplaced

and detrimental action of " outsiders " who in their

patronising/ paternalistic manner are unable to accept

the right of the women engaged in sex work to self

organise. With the rise of the Christian Right in the

USA and their ideological hold on the current

administration I fear that we will see increasing

amounts of this moralistic and paternalistic approach

to women under the ruse of anti-trafficking. The

growth in religeous fundimentalism throughout the

Asian world will do nothing to reduce such abuses of

the human rights of women engaged in sex work.

In this climate it becomes increasingly important that

we struggle to ensure the legal and political rights

of women engaged in sex work are enshrined in law in

order that such continued abuses of the law cannot

take place.

In solidarity and sympathy to the plight of the women

am Shahmanesh

E-mail: <bamaryjoon@...>