Legalising Prostitution in India

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Introduction Prostitution, the oldest profession on earth is not something which the Indian society today looks up to. In the realms of history we have had prostitutes who enjoyed celebrity hood. The law, indignantly, is bent oncurbing the profession but has been unsuccessful so far. The truth that the elimination of prostitution is not possible was even recognized by the Supreme Court of India in month of December, 2009. The court had also pointed out that nowhere else in the world prostitution is dealt with by punitive measures. The laws governing prostitution in our country are proving to be detrimental to the interest of women instead of relieving them from the clutches of traffickers, middlemen, local police, brothel owners etc. The only way to guarantee a better life to prostitutes is legalization and regularization of the industry. Though there is denial of the fact that such progressive step is not a cake walk for the government considering the traditional mindset and moral benchmarks of Indian society. But keeping in mind the higher interest, and to avoid the undesirable consequences, government has to initiate such a regulation with a stance that prostitution is not morally heinous and it cannot be abolished Tracing the History In the ancient time there was a practice of having Nagarvadhu meaning bride of the city/town (An example being the very famous nagarvadhu ‘Amrapali’ from the city of Vaishali ). Also, there were Devdasis (the ‘slave of the deity’); they can be better understood as temple prostitutes. During 16th and the 17th centuries Goa (the then Portuguese colony in India) had a considerable number of young Japanese women captured as sex slaves by Portuguese traders. During 18th and early 19th Centuries (During the rule of East India Company) it was a common practice among British and Indian soldiers to visit ‘Nautch’ (Nach) Dancers.

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