Department of Sociology
Gender
Presentation on
Sex Worker
Presented by:
Ngahorning Kashung
Overview
• Definition
• Some Facts and statistics
• What force women to become sex workers?
• Problems faced
• Conclusion
Definition
• Sex Worker:
A person who works in the sex industry, specifically, a
person who commercially trades in sex by providing
sexual service - as opposed to management of such
people
• sometimes viewed as a synonym for ‘prostitution’
• the term is meant as a general term for erotic labor in
any of the different parts of the sex industry, hence,
strippers and performers in pornography (who
generally do not define themselves as prostitutes) may
be considered sex workers.
Facts and Statistics
• There are an estimated 2.8 million sex workers in India
and 33.47 of whom enter the trade before the age of
18
• The number of prostitutes has doubled in the last
decade
• About 1,00,000 sex workers in Mumbai and Half of
them are HIV positive
• Every year about 10,000 Nepali girls, mostly between
the ages of 9 and 16 are sold to brothels in Indian
cities
Facts and Statistics
• Over 1000 Red–Light District all over India
• Famous Red-Light centres in India:
o Sonagachi – Kolkata
o Kamathipura – Mumbai
o G B Road – Delhi
o Budhwar Peth - Pune
What force women to become sex workers?
• The Causes:
• Poverty – lack of resource to support
themselves or their children. Often after the
breakup of a marriage or after being disowned
and thrown out of their homes by their families
• Mother/sister/near relative in the profession
• Lover/Close acquaintance giving false hope of
marriage or job
Causes – contd.
• Neighbours as pimps or in connivance with
parents
• Aged sex workers from same village or locality
• Unknown person/accidental meeting with
pimp
• Chukri System whereby a female is coerced
into prostitution to pay off debts, as a form of
bonded labour
Picture speaks: A sex worker from
Kamathipura, Mumbai
Sex workers from
Sonagachi,
Kolkata
Problems faced by Sex Workers
• Sex work by itself has got a stigma in the
society
• Clients are against safe sex practice
• Threat by the clients, if they are not satisfied
• Lack of cooperation from the doctors for
STD/HIV/AIDS treatment
• Less accessibility of Condoms
• Increase in number of sex workers
Problems faced by Sex Workers
• Frequent shifting of houses, as they live in rented
house
• Alcoholism among sex workers is high
• Clients do not pay as they promise
• Some clients do take photographs and blackmail
• Harrassment by police In India:
70% of sex workers in a survey reported being
beaten by the police and more than 80% had been
arrested without evidence
Sex Worker Vs Law
• The primary law dealing with the status of sex workers is
the 1956 law referred to as The Immoral
Traffic(Suppression) Act(SITA)
• According to this law, prostitutes can practice their trade
privately but cannot legally solicit customers in public
• Recently Amended to The Immoral Traffic(Prevention)
Act(PITA)
• The Indian Penal Code (IPC) is often used to charge sex
workers with vague crimes such as “public indecency" or
being a "public nuisance" without explicitly defining what
these consist of
Advocacy
• Advocacy:
Sex worker's rights advocates argue that sex workers should
have the same basic human and labour rights as other
working people
• Complaints by sex workers should be met with the same
respect and regard that would be given to any other crime
victim, and complaints must be addressed and investigated
by law enforcement agencies without penalty to these
victims of violence
Conclusion
• The Government/ Corporation should produce
and supply quality condoms
• Accessibility of condoms to be increased
• Out patients, specially sex workers should also be
paid equal attention by the Government Doctors
• In order to get rid of the violence by clients, the
brothel owners, Managers or the care takers
must take initiative to safe guard the women
engaged in this work
Conclusion
• To build self esteem and self confidence among
sex workers, trainings should be organized along
with the HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs.
• Police who commit violence or other crimes
against prostitutes must be held accountable for
their acts. These acts include sexual assault or
abuse, sexual harassment, theft, and extortion of
sexual services in exchange for not being arrested
• Advocacy to promote human rights of sex workers
References
1. Wikipedia – [Link]
2. Chennai corporation aids prevention and
control society (CAPACS) – [Link]
3. WHO publication – ‘Violence against sex
workers and HIV prevention’
Thank You