A life-altering order of the Supreme Court

The Apex Court's landmark order upholding the dignity of consenting adult sex workers is long overdue and needs to be widely welcomed by society and governments as it may hopefully put an end to the exploitation and victimisation of the hapless women by the very people who are vested with the power of enforcement of law. (SC order on sex work, an earnest attempt - THI, 28 May).

Your insightful editorial made some sharp, bold and meaningful observations that should be taken in right spirit by the powers that be to salvage the plight of the women wilfully engaged in sex work. It is a well-known fact that women languishing in poverty often opt to become sex workers to feed children and family and they deserve sympathy, empathy and support of everyone rather than being stigmatised and harassed. It is disquieting to see them being intimidated to pay bribes out of their meagre earnings apart from being forced to extend sexual favours when caught in raids. The affluent people who, through abuse of their power, garner illegal gains by sucking the blood of these unfortunate women should shame themselves rather than shaming the victims of their high handedness and corruption.

It is right time for governments at Centre as well as in states to respond with sensibility, sensitivity and responsibility to the order of Supreme Court to act coherently to formulate suitable legislations to free consenting adult sex workers from all types of exploitation which would help them not only lead a dignified life but also exercise equal rights on a par with others. At the same time, traffickers of women/girls and pimps who take unduly advantage out of the miserable conditions of poor women shouldn't be allowed to flourish and shouldn't go unpunished. With regard to women who are unwilling to continue as sex workers, an effective and comprehensive rehabilitation programme needs to be put in place to ensure a decent living for them.

If the governments begin to demonstrate right attitude towards sex workers by acknowledging them as respectable citizens of the country and by providing them with required legislative support, people and civil society will shed their inhibitions and myopic view of

sex workers and will certainly demonstrate a mature vision of treating sex workers as their esteemed compatriots. Let us hope that the monumental order of Supreme Court would get translated into sincere and concrete actions initiated by the governments which would pave the way for illumination of lives of lakhs

of sex workers.

NarneRaveendra Babu, Hyderabad

II

This refers to the editorial, "SC order on sex work, an earnest attempt", (The Hans India, 28.05.2022). The Supreme Court's ruling that "prostitution is a profession and sex workers are entitled to dignity and equal protection under the law" should set at rest the harassment of such women. Police show no respect for their human dignity when in the name of raids on "prostitution dens", they are exposed to public ridicule and their pictures are allowed to be publicised.

Though sex work is not possible without the involvement of men, they invariably escape such humiliation because of the gender bias of the raiding party. They also have the capacity to pay bribes. Their children are snatched away from them and they are forcibly admitted to children's homes where siblings are separated from one another. Often, they are exposed to physical, sexual, and mental harassment.

Sex between consenting adults for either love or money is not something that should bother the state. Just because they practice sex work does not mean that all the protections the Constitution provides to citizens can be denied to them. With this order of the three-member Bench, all raids, arrests, and parading of sex workers should come to an end.

Though it took millennia for the highest court in the country to declare sex work as a profession, it is considered as the "oldest profession". Because their work was considered illegal, they were not entitled to any institutional safeguards or support.

The women get only a portion of their income, as the money is divided among their keepers, pimps, and policemen. And when the going gets tough because of old age and illness, they have, more often than not, nothing to fall back upon. The children born to them,

accidentally or otherwise, suffer all kinds of indignities. The court's order should awaken the Central and state governments to the need to initiate remedial steps that will extend to the care and protection that any citizen is

entitled to.

N Sadhasiva Reddy, Bengaluru