Flesh trade thriving in no red-light zone state
Source: Chronicle News Service / Chingkhei Luwang
Imphal, July 23 2022:
Though the state does not
have a specific location designated
as red-light area like in some cities across the country, female sex
workers indulging in flesh trade are
very conspicuous in alleys, halls,
hotels and at even at private homes
in the state.
According to information received
from Manipur State AIDS Control
Society (MACS), the state has more
than 6000 female sex workers and
the number keeps increasing.
Most of the female sex workers
are divorces, estranged women
or widows, and many of them are
homeless staying in rented accommodations and are poverty stricken.
They usually face harassment, abuse
and violence and are discriminated
and stigmatised.
As per the record of Meitei Leimarol Shinai Shang, an Imphal based
NGO supported by MACS working
for welfare of women and to prevent spread of HIV through target
intervention, there are around 70
hotspots for flesh trade in Imphal
area alone.
Speaking to The People's Chronicle, MLSS secretary S Inaocha pointed
out that sex workers face harassment
and discrimination from different
fronts as it is considered immoral by
the society.
Civil society and women
organisations in particular are against
such work under the notion that it
is degrading the dignity of womenfolk and is a disgrace to the society.
Sometimes they are harassed, fine
imposed and even physically abused,
yet such penalties do not solve the
issue of sex workers in the state.
"Whether one accepts it or not
they are the product of the society.
Our society needs to find out the
reason for increasing number of sex
workers and why they continue to
indulge in such work despite facing frequent harassment and social
discrimination," Inaocha remarked,
while contending that our society is
not working effectively and sincerely
to integrate the destitute women,
who are indulging in flesh trade, into
the mainstream.
Without finding the
root cause first, it would be in vain
to bring them into the mainstream,
she opined.
Though the issue of HIV can be
considered as minimal in the state,
the issues of female sex workers
are manifold, she continued, while
adding that the situation is even
dire for those female sex workers
who are also female injecting drug
users (FIDU).
Acting on the directive of the Supreme Court, Social Welfare Department recently distributed dry rations
to female sex workers of the state.
On
the other hand, wanting to remain
anonymous posed a big hurdle in
availing the social benefits to them
as they fear social discrimination and
stigmatisation, the secretary pointed
out, while adding that socio-economic problem, unemployment,
broken family, increasing cost of
living and consumerism might be
some of the reasons for these women
to walk through the dark path for
their livelihood and survival.
Narrating her tragic story of how
she ended becoming a sex worker, 32
years old Leishembi (name changed)
said that she began indulging in flesh
trade when she was 23 years old, after
a failed marriage and poverty.
She
recalled how she took up odd jobs
including quarrying of river sand, at
brick farm, stone crusher, weaving
clothes and also selling vegetables
to feed her three children (two sons
and a daughter).
Unable to sustain
the family with the meagre earnings
from such jobs, she began working
as a sex worker, Leishembi revealed.
After separation from her husband, she has
been staying in a rented house and sustaining the family, Leishembi informed, while
contending that they are considered as
mere object by the society, where anyone
can harass, abuse and exploit them.
But, no
one knows why they indulge in such work
and living a horrific life.
No one wants to
become a sex worker at first, everyone will
be shocked when they hear their tragic
stories and after walking on their shoes,
people will surely have a different outlook
about them, she said.
Sometimes those who take services from
them raid hotels and harass them, Leishembi said, while revealing that owner of
the hotels, where they do the act, exploit
them by taking most of the share the clients
pay for them.
"There are many friends who did not
know what to do to sustain themselves and
their families after they stopped sex work.
If people want them to stop such work or if
one wants to stop it, she first needs to have
some source of income for survival.
If there
is some source of income that could sustain
the family then most of them would stop
the activities," she opined.
As most of them are staying in rented
houses without any landed property and
disconnected from their families.
They do
not have documents required for enjoying
benefits of the various welfare schemes of
the government, thus, depriving of the benefits they needed the most, she continued.
Regarding the Supreme Court's recent
order directing that sex workers should not
be arrested, penalised, harassed, or victimised in raids at brothels since voluntary
sex work is not illegal and only running the
brothel is unlawful, she wondered how far
will the order be effectively implemented
in the state.
Amidst the debate between social morality
and the recent Supreme Court judgement
recognising their profession, the sex workers who are skating on the thin ice are still
prone to violence and harassment.
Comment
