Re: Beyond morality: Legalise sex trade to combat HIV

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

Sex workers are talking from their realities in life. They may not be

interested in going into the subtleties of legalization and moral

pretensions of others. Sex work is considered as the oldest profession.

But so far, others were speaking for them. But, HIV and the related programs

provided some space for them to talk for themselves.

Before, it was easy for others to decide on what sex workers want. Now, their

voices challenge the conventional rehabilitation approach.

More often discussions took place in such manner that sex workers were viewed as

the cause for their conditions. But once they started talking, these notions got

challenged. Sex workers voice can no longer be ignored.

In all discourses, their views also appear. This write up also illustrates this.

This discursive shift has to be responded seriously by others including policy

makers. For this, we have to go beyond the frame of " morality " .*

Supporting sex workers*

Dr. Jayasree.A.K

e-mail: <akjayasree@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

It is not a question of *morality* at all. For Prostitution we need more and

more girls and if the trade is legalized, younger girls are going to be

trafficked.

There is no demand for much adult women in prostitution and

hence, the supply of children is not going to stop. Children and young women

face violence and abuse when they are forced into prostitution.

Even today women in prostitution can demand for a safe criminal and crime free

environment. What they are doing is not *per se illegal *and hence, they should

organize on the same issue.

If the trade is legalized the brothel owners and Pimps (both men and women) will

be more empowered. Many ex-women in prostitution are also involved in

trafficking, brothel managing, Pimping and these women do not have any option in

life. How are we going to control them?

All areas where there are brothels the women can be brought together on issues

of violence against them (By pimps, traffickers or brothel owners or by police).

They have to be together to protest. The traffickers who are

active in red light areas or in designated areas where there are no red light

areas ( some cities), would continue to be active.Today or tomorrow with

legalization, this is a crime and it would be a crime later also. How effective

are the Police going to be.

Nothing is going to chnage with leganization of the trade and we have the

answers in other countries as well. in Australia has lagalized

prostituion but if there are 250 legal brothels, there are 300 illegal brothels

also.

Violence in prostitution has increased. Netherlands has

legalized prostitution and is trafficking young women from the Eastern

European Countries and the pimps and the traffickers are very active.

The women are continued to be forced as their legal documents are kept by the

pimps and the traffickers.

Legal or Illegal prostitution happens to women who are option less and are

forced in the same. In some countries they are from very poor situation, in some

cases they are forced into it as they make mistakes of choosing a wrong life

parner or friend, in some cases they are married young. Some get into it because

of their addiction or because they are facing violence at home and they try to

run away.

Many girls are also sent for prostitution because they are from communites where

the young daughter is expected to earn from

prostitution.

In the South Asian region trafficking for prostitution is rampant because girl

children are vulnerable. The population in these countries is such that these

girls are going to be picked up for prostitution and legalizing the trade we are

going to help the traffickers, pimps and the brothel managers.

We need to look into the life of a woman in prostitution. She is controlled

totally and we do not need to control her more.

Finally if leganized who is going to look after them? The police, The social

welfare or the labour ministry? Who is going to see that a woman, over eighteen

years of age, would learn about prostitution without a trafficker and then join

the trade. How are they going to operate?

Once again, it is not a question of morality but a question of caution.

Please do not officially start selling a woman. Do not make her a commodity any

more. We have already done lot of harm to her.

Please do nto put her in the maket legally.

Thanks,

Indrani Sinha

--

Ms. Indrani Sinha

Executive Director

SANLAAP

38B Mahanirban Road

Calcutta 700029

Ph: +91 33 27021287

Fax: +91 33 28400286

E-mail: indrani.sanlaap@...

Please visit us at: www.sanlaapindia.org

[Guest guest]

Re: /message/11040

Excellent Indrani Ji,

 

I am completely agreed and appreciate your analysis. Adding to it, if we closely

observe the issue we can find that the profit gainer i.e. pimps, traffickers or

brothel owners are the people who are raising voice and also tactfully

mobilising the helpless & Innocent women/girls to say only on the positive side

of this issue.

 

Mihir Mohanty,

Bhubaneswar, Orissa       

e-mail: <mohanty.mihir@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

Re: /message/11040

It has now been many years since I was associated with Sanlaap in physical

presence.

In the years that have gone in the interim period I was based in Malaysia for a

period of 2 years. The assignment there took me to ines,Thailand and

virtually all the countries in South East Asia, Asia, parts of Europe as well.

In the meantime Tsunami struck and I have seen how trafficking took place soon

after the calamity .

Although until now I have silently followed the debate and I am responding only

for the reason that I echo every word that Indrani has written in letter and

spirit and with all that is there in my head and heart.

My question is simple can we when our children in their adolscenece seek carrer

options be able to say to our male children " Look son, you can become a pilot,

a photo journalist,a police personnel or a pimp? Now that it is a legal

profession.

Similarly to our daughters " Look you have the options of becoming a public

prosecutor, a pilot, a professional paratruper and also a prostitute ? After all

it is a legal profession option as well!.

If the answers from within our heads and hearts say yes .......we have to

question which is the way for that we want to leave behind in the history of

humankind.

In solidarity with all the voices of vulnerability and the desire to dignity

Regards now and always Indrani

Kaveri Dutt

Senior Research Director

ORG

e-mail: <kaveri_dutt@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear friends and colleagues,

Re: /message/11040

Given that the debate has been globally on for decades and there has been little

consensus on it, I wonder if we should not start from scratch and ask the few

basic questions:

(a) What are the concerns (over rights violations) that we think legalisation of

prostitution is going to address? What are other intended/unintended outcomes

may legalisation result?

( If not legalisation (of prostitution), then what other measures do we

propose to address those concerns over violations and abuses?

Kaveri, I was wondering that comparison between professional choices of the

prostitute/pimp versus the doctor/lawyer is a class issue.

Its only the middle classes that has the 'options' of professions.

The labourers/ mechanics/ daily wage earners of the world do not choose their

professions, they just accept them as their lot in life.

Less than a couple of decades ago, professions of hostesses (in airlines,

hotels) or models were frowned upon - and most parents would certainly not

'offer' their children these options. So yes, morality does play a role in some

of these choices, don't they?

In my opinion, yes - we are all speaking from positions of morality - both -

those of us who feel that paid sex is humiliating, denigrating and exploitative

to human dignity - and those who feel that sex is like any other service that a

person can offer and it has nothing to do with one's health (physiological or

psychological) beyond the HIV.

The basic question is about our perceptions on sexuality itself.

Maybe, thats where the discussion needs to begin.

In solidarity,

Roop Sen

e-mail: <roopsen@...>