Sexual health and prostitution in New Delhi
From Siddhesh Kudale
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Objectives of the podcast
This is a podcast on the topic of sexual health and prostitution in New Delhi, India. The main objective of this podcast is to shed light on sexual health issues in marginalized sections of society and question the reasoning behind the societal appropriation of laws that restrict sexual businesses and behavior in India. A small extension to this objective is to question what planners have been and should be doing in this situation.
Who are the prostitutes?
Prostitutes or sex workers, in general, are persons that trade sexual services for a standard fee. In this case, most sex workers happen to be women or transgendered persons, resorting to this work due to quick and easy money-making opportunities provided by sex work. Many times, the women in this business are trafficked from the rural hinterland, often poor and underprivileged. Availability of extensive human labor for this work has also further led to lower stakes and lower returns from this market for individuals, despite which it does provide enough to sustain all the workers involved. Most of these sex workers choose this work as a necessity to fend for themselves and their dependents.
Why are they important?
Despite the law being vague on sexual solicitation, there is open demand and supply of sex work in various cities including Delhi, where certain areas have organically grown to be red-light districts (Kamathipura in Mumbai, GB Road in Delhi, Sonagachi in Kolkata, etc.). As of 2016, there are estimated to be 657,829 sex workers in India (UNAIDS, 2020), of which about 1.2 million were children or young adults (CBI, 2009). These numbers cement the fact that this is a huge industry, also highly at risk due to unregulated prostitution permitted under the law.
The reason why speaking about this topic is essential is that there are unchecked chains of transmission that aid in the unregulated spread of sexual infections and STDs through this business, despite various efforts by government and non-government bodies. Sex workers also have been recorded to serve a large portion of the society which especially includes migrant men and low-income groups (Basu, et. al., 1987).
Legality of sex work
Indian Penal Code under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1986, vaguely practices abolitionism of prostitution, which means that prostitution is legal but unregulated. Pimping, brothels, and other associated activities are considered illegal but only controlled against the punishment of sexual activity in or near public places, as opposed to specific detailed regulation. Regardless, there are rampant activities like trafficking that function despite written code.
Impacts
India recorded 69,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2017, while 2.1 million people still live with it (UNAIDS, 2020). Despite huge efforts by the government and other NGOs, sex workers, owing to the secretive nature of the job, remain inaccessible for focussed efforts. This may change with the legalization of sex work, which may promote the regulation of jobs and wages for these workers. Other impacts on these workers include other STIs like gonorrhea and syphilis, pregnancies with unknown fathers, hereditary sexual transmission, and premature involvement in sex work. There are further magnified in other chains of sexual transmission in cities.
What should planners be doing?
Planners do not have authority over changing the laws, nor do they have funds to operate as non-governmental bodies. The least we can expect planners to do is have an open discussion about the existence of these factors in the society, and include them in city plans; also give explicit welfare guidelines in masterplans (which are regulated by state planning acts). The least it will do is create controversy in implementation with other acts, and it could lead to the Supreme Court amending laws to legalize and regulate sex work instead of vague directions as they exist today.
References
Basu, A. M., Basu, K., & Ray, R. (1987). Migrants and the Native Bond: An Analysis of Microlevel Data from Delhi. Economic and Political Weekly, 22(19/21), AN145–AN154. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4377017
Bhan, G. (2018). Urban Age Developing Urban Futures: Gautam Bhan - Delivering housing for all (Indian cities). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRIoE8CWh1E&t=554s.
CBI (2009). Official: More than 1M child prostitutes in India. Cable News Network. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://web.archive.org/web/20110228012844/http://articles.cnn.com/2009-05-11/world/india.prostitution.children_1_human-trafficking-india-prostitutes?_s=PM%3AWORLD.
Hindin, J., & Hindin, M. J. (2009). Premarital romantic partnerships: Attitudes and sexual experiences of youth in Delhi, India. International perspectives on sexual and reproductive health, 97-104.
IPC (1986). Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1986. Indian Penal Code, Constitution of India.
Meena, J.K., Verma, A., Kishore, J. and Ingle, G.K. (2015). Sexual and Reproductive Health: Knowledge, Attitude, and Perceptions among Young Unmarried Male Residents of Delhi, International Journal of Reproductive Medicine, vol. 2015, Article ID 431460, 6 pages. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/431460.
Lambert, H., & Wood, K. (2005). A comparative analysis of communication about sex, health and sexual health in India and South Africa: Implications for HIV prevention. Culture, health & sexuality, 7(6), 527-541.
Pandey, G. (2016, August 30). The woman who discovered India's first HIV cases. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37183012.
Rangaiyan, G. (1996). Sexuality & sexual behaviour in the age of AIDS: a study among college youth in Mumbai [Ph.D. dissertation], International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India.
Sebastian, A. (1992). Bombay and its migrants. Research Monograph. Mumbai: International Institute for Population Sciences.
UNAIDS. (2020, January 13). HIV and AIDS in India. Avert. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.avert.oarg/professionals/hiv-around-world/asia-pacific/india.
UNODC. (2017). Around 3 million prostitutes in India. Incredible India. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://web.archive.org/web/20160329012526/http://www.unodc.org/documents/southasia/News/conduct_final.pdf.
Credits for background music
Darbar Festival, London. (2017). New Kid on the Rock. Youtube. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wYGRJCaSEU.
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This is a podcast on the topic of sexual health and prostitution in New Delhi, India. The main objective of this podcast is to shed light on sexual health issues in marginalized sections of society and question the reasoning behind the societal appropriation of laws that restrict sexual businesses and behavior in India. A small extension to this objective is to question what planners have been and should be doing in this situation.
Who are the prostitutes?
Prostitutes or sex workers, in general, are persons that trade sexual services for a standard fee. In this case, most sex workers happen to be women or transgendered persons, resorting to this work due to quick and easy money-making opportunities provided by sex work. Many times, the women in this business are trafficked from the rural hinterland, often poor and underprivileged. Availability of extensive human labor for this work has also further led to lower stakes and lower returns from this market for individuals, despite which it does provide enough to sustain all the workers involved. Most of these sex workers choose this work as a necessity to fend for themselves and their dependents.
Why are they important?
Despite the law being vague on sexual solicitation, there is open demand and supply of sex work in various cities including Delhi, where certain areas have organically grown to be red-light districts (Kamathipura in Mumbai, GB Road in Delhi, Sonagachi in Kolkata, etc.). As of 2016, there are estimated to be 657,829 sex workers in India (UNAIDS, 2020), of which about 1.2 million were children or young adults (CBI, 2009). These numbers cement the fact that this is a huge industry, also highly at risk due to unregulated prostitution permitted under the law.
The reason why speaking about this topic is essential is that there are unchecked chains of transmission that aid in the unregulated spread of sexual infections and STDs through this business, despite various efforts by government and non-government bodies. Sex workers also have been recorded to serve a large portion of the society which especially includes migrant men and low-income groups (Basu, et. al., 1987).
Legality of sex work
Indian Penal Code under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1986, vaguely practices abolitionism of prostitution, which means that prostitution is legal but unregulated. Pimping, brothels, and other associated activities are considered illegal but only controlled against the punishment of sexual activity in or near public places, as opposed to specific detailed regulation. Regardless, there are rampant activities like trafficking that function despite written code.
Impacts
India recorded 69,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2017, while 2.1 million people still live with it (UNAIDS, 2020). Despite huge efforts by the government and other NGOs, sex workers, owing to the secretive nature of the job, remain inaccessible for focussed efforts. This may change with the legalization of sex work, which may promote the regulation of jobs and wages for these workers. Other impacts on these workers include other STIs like gonorrhea and syphilis, pregnancies with unknown fathers, hereditary sexual transmission, and premature involvement in sex work. There are further magnified in other chains of sexual transmission in cities.
What should planners be doing?
Planners do not have authority over changing the laws, nor do they have funds to operate as non-governmental bodies. The least we can expect planners to do is have an open discussion about the existence of these factors in the society, and include them in city plans; also give explicit welfare guidelines in masterplans (which are regulated by state planning acts). The least it will do is create controversy in implementation with other acts, and it could lead to the Supreme Court amending laws to legalize and regulate sex work instead of vague directions as they exist today.
References
Basu, A. M., Basu, K., & Ray, R. (1987). Migrants and the Native Bond: An Analysis of Microlevel Data from Delhi. Economic and Political Weekly, 22(19/21), AN145–AN154. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4377017
Bhan, G. (2018). Urban Age Developing Urban Futures: Gautam Bhan - Delivering housing for all (Indian cities). Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRIoE8CWh1E&t=554s.
CBI (2009). Official: More than 1M child prostitutes in India. Cable News Network. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://web.archive.org/web/20110228012844/http://articles.cnn.com/2009-05-11/world/india.prostitution.children_1_human-trafficking-india-prostitutes?_s=PM%3AWORLD.
Hindin, J., & Hindin, M. J. (2009). Premarital romantic partnerships: Attitudes and sexual experiences of youth in Delhi, India. International perspectives on sexual and reproductive health, 97-104.
IPC (1986). Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1986. Indian Penal Code, Constitution of India.
Meena, J.K., Verma, A., Kishore, J. and Ingle, G.K. (2015). Sexual and Reproductive Health: Knowledge, Attitude, and Perceptions among Young Unmarried Male Residents of Delhi, International Journal of Reproductive Medicine, vol. 2015, Article ID 431460, 6 pages. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/431460.
Mishra, A. (2004). Risk of Sexually-Transmitted Infections among Migrant Men: Findings from a Survey in Delhi. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 13(1), 89–105. https://doi.org/10.1177/011719680401300105
Pandey, G. (2016, August 30). The woman who discovered India's first HIV cases. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37183012.
Rangaiyan, G. (1996). Sexuality & sexual behaviour in the age of AIDS: a study among college youth in Mumbai [Ph.D. dissertation], International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India.
Sebastian, A. (1992). Bombay and its migrants. Research Monograph. Mumbai: International Institute for Population Sciences.
UNAIDS. (2020, January 13). HIV and AIDS in India. Avert. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.avert.oarg/professionals/hiv-around-world/asia-pacific/india.
UNODC. (2017). Around 3 million prostitutes in India. Incredible India. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://web.archive.org/web/20160329012526/http://www.unodc.org/documents/southasia/News/conduct_final.pdf.
Credits for background music
Darbar Festival, London. (2017). New Kid on the Rock. Youtube. Retrieved December 12, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wYGRJCaSEU.
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