Amendments of Immoral Ttaffic Prevention Act (ITPA)

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

This is to give you all an update of the process on the Immoral Ttaffic

Prevention Act[ ITPA] amendment and to appeal to all for some engagement on this

issue.

The parliamentary committee has met with the anti-trafficking groups and some of

the sex workers and we hear that they are considering the various arguments. The

women’s groups, HIV/AIDS groups, Human rights groups, political party

representatives have all deposed in front of the committee who will now meet

government representatives.

The sex workers are protesting 5[c] which isto punish persons visiting or found

in a brothel – “whoever visits or is found in a brothel for the purpose of

sexual exploitation of a victim of trafficking”.

If the law hopes to bring down the number of clients visiting sex workers this

will not happen. We have enough evidence to show that in countries where

prostitution is totally illegal, immoral and anti-religion, it is still

practiced. This prohibitionist model only makes the women more vulnerable to

abuse and violence including loosing all capacity to be safe from both violence

and disease.

We from SANGRAM/VAMP would like to hear your views on this contentious issue.

Whether the amendments go through or not we believe that the debates around

prostitution will continue to dominate our response to the women who practice

sex work/ prostitution.

The sex workers movement is pitched against forces driven both by moralists and

progressive thinkers who believe that trafficking is prostitution and that

prostitution is not acceptable in a civilized society.

In the ensuing debate we find that both the moralists [very often right wing

thinkers] and the progressive thinkers find themselves on the same side of the

coin. Prostitution as sexual exploitation is a concept that needs to be

addressed by all of us.

Is making money from sex, exploitation?

Is the articulation of `dhanda’ [business] as livelihood a disgrace to society?

Do women in prostitution have rights?

Right to be a woman in prostitution?

Right to make money from sex?

Is it a disgrace to buy sex?

Are men who buy sex, exploiting the woman by paying for it?

Does the status of sex increase or decrease by whether it is negotiated for free

or for a price?

Is it exploitation, when the man makes money from sex, from a woman/man?

Hoping to hear from some of you at least!!!

SANGRAM/VAMP

e-mail: san_meena@...