India must criminalise buying of sex: Global watchdog
Font size:
NewsByte
India should criminalise buying of sex and strengthen its anti-trafficking laws, a global rights watchdog has said.
In a statement issued on the eve of UN General Assembly debate on steps needed to stop trafficking, Equality Now on Monday urged Indian government to take steps for early passage of amendments to the 1956 Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA), which would involve a crackdown on buyers of sex.
The desired changes, it stressed, would be a positive step in stopping trafficking in women and children.
The organisation regretted that the amendments, which recognised sexual exploitation as inherent in prostitution, were "languishing for two years with no end in sight," mostly because of ill-advised resistance from HIV/AIDS lobby.
The amendments, it said, would decriminalise women in prostitution but criminalise the "real and often invisible perpetrators" the buyers of prostitution, pimps and brothel owners.
The HIV/AIDS lobby mistakenly believed that targeting demand would curtail use of condom to prevent the spread of the disease, it said.
"The grim reality, however, is that women in prostitution are often unable to negotiate condom use and are at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. As one Indian woman named Beenu, who is in prostitution says, 'Few people agree to use a condom. And if they don't, I cannot force them.'"
The most effective way to protect women like Beenu would be by curtailing the commercial sex industry, Equality Now stressed.
In a statement issued on the eve of UN General Assembly debate on steps needed to stop trafficking, Equality Now on Monday urged Indian government to take steps for early passage of amendments to the 1956 Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA), which would involve a crackdown on buyers of sex.
The desired changes, it stressed, would be a positive step in stopping trafficking in women and children.
The organisation regretted that the amendments, which recognised sexual exploitation as inherent in prostitution, were "languishing for two years with no end in sight," mostly because of ill-advised resistance from HIV/AIDS lobby.
The amendments, it said, would decriminalise women in prostitution but criminalise the "real and often invisible perpetrators" the buyers of prostitution, pimps and brothel owners.
The HIV/AIDS lobby mistakenly believed that targeting demand would curtail use of condom to prevent the spread of the disease, it said.
"The grim reality, however, is that women in prostitution are often unable to negotiate condom use and are at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. As one Indian woman named Beenu, who is in prostitution says, 'Few people agree to use a condom. And if they don't, I cannot force them.'"
The most effective way to protect women like Beenu would be by curtailing the commercial sex industry, Equality Now stressed.
del.icio.us
Digg
Technorati
Email to a friend
Print version
Plain text
Comments (0 posted):
Post your comment