The Supreme Court has directed police forces in all states and union territories to treat them with respect and not verbally or physically abuse them.
The Supreme Court has directed police forces in all states and union territories to treat them with respect and not verbally or physically abuse them.
The winding lanes and narrow lanes of Kolkata’s Sonagachi, one of Asia’s largest red-light districts, came alive with music and fun on Friday as sex workers rejoiced over the recent Supreme Court verdict. sex work recognized as a profession,
Faced with colored powder and sweets distributed, sex workers described the court’s order as “a step forward towards a life of honour”.
Mahasweta Mukherjee, advocacy officer for Darbar Mahila Coordination Committee, an NGO that looks after the welfare of sex workers, said the organization’s “27-year struggle has finally paid off”.
“We had two events to celebrate the historic verdict. In Sonagachi, women play with colored powder and feed each other sweets in the morning. In view of World Menstrual Hygiene Day tomorrow, a program has been organized in the evening to raise awareness about menstrual hygiene. Napkins will be distributed on the occasion. However, Ms Mukherjee said brothels were still deemed illegal by the court.
44-year-old sex worker and committee chairperson Bisakha Laskar said the apex court’s decision will bring relief to many women, who are regularly harassed for choosing sex work as their profession.
“Not only some of us, customers are also harassed by policemen as they step out of Sonagachi. I hope this decision will be a step towards a dignified life for us,” Ms Laskar said.
Observing that human decency and dignity extend to sex workers and their children, the Supreme Court has directed police forces in all states and union territories to Treat them with respect and don’t abuse themverbally or physically.
The court also said that sex workers should not be arrested or punished or harassed during raids on brothels, “since voluntary sex work is not illegal and only running a brothel is illegal”.
It ruled that the child of a sex worker should not be separated from the mother merely on the ground that he is involved in prostitution.
Sangeeta Pal, daughter of a sex worker, said that she has been looked down upon for a long time despite no fault of her own.
“No one can impose their decisions on sex workers. They can also express their opinion if needed. Mothers who are engaged in the profession as well as their children will no longer have to live separately. That said, the judiciary that recognizes the verdict and the society that accepts us are two different things. It is a long battle, we have just taken a step forward.”
Appreciating the court’s decision, Additional Superintendent of Police (CID) Shanti Das said that every adult woman should have the right to choose her profession.
He insisted that this decision should have come much earlier.
When asked about allegations of harassment by the police, he said that when the police come to know that some minors are being exploited, then raids are conducted. Further, the profession cannot be practiced anywhere, in any premises. Families living near red light areas often file complaints. In such cases, the police also need to look into their complaints.”