| Nhuchche |
Posted
on 01-Feb-02 08:44 AM
Interesting read from the Kathmandu Post:
By ARJUN BHANDARI
There is not any substantial difference between a brothel owner and a social worker rescuing sex workers from the brothel houses. Conventional wisdom is that the former is called evil while the latter good. It is the prostitutes who keep both the sides alive though they are seemingly in binary opposition. A naked fact is that the "good" has no independent existence without the "evil." Both the elements are survived by the sex workers. They tend to be the perennial sources of income and fame for both the sides. In other words, both the "good" and "evil" exploit them simultaneously. The blues the prostitutes undergo do not subdue even if they are rescued. They fall out of the frying-pan into the fire.
Those who are first trafficked and later rescued from the brothels are used as the guinea-pigs by both the evil and the good. The victims have no say in the brothel houses and rescue centres. There are elements that always want to cash in from their compulsions. A brothel owner and the other campaigning against the girl/women trafficking have a single agenda: to make money out of the sex workers’ agony. They will never be able to lead a normal life once they are thrown into the labyrinth of the oldest profession. They are the receiving-end of the entire process. A prostitute is an abundant source of income for others who are not prostitutes at all.
Some of the social organisations depend on the sex workers for their survival. If there are no more sex workers who have contacted with HIV/AIDS in the brothels, these social organisations would cease to function and would lose their regular income and social prestige. The only difference between the brothel owner and the social organisation campaigning against the profession is that the former earns hard cash from the sex workers at first hand, while the latter earns at the second hand from those engaged in flesh trade. Both of them – evil and good – vie for their survival, not for the dignity of an already sold out woman.
The already sold out women are, in both the cases, treated as if they are consumer goods displayed in public places. For the first time, they are tasted, chewed and thrown away. Secondly, others display them so that something more could be extracted out of their plight. This profit making process keeps on going until she finally breathes her last.
Even if they are rescued from the hell and brought to a rehabilitation centre, they continue to remain homeless and discarded stuff as far as their grievances are concerned. Such rehabilitation centres do not provide any relief to their mental and physical pain. It is a painful experience for those who are forced to live in the so-called rehabilitation centres. In both cases they have no right to self-judgement. They are forced to serve in the brothels and, again forced to tell their tales even after they are rescued. To add insult to their injuries, their painful experience makes an interesting headline in the newspapers.
The vicious circle of the sex workers does not end here. National, regional and international conventions are also held to address their plights without their representation. A classic example of such is the recently concluded 11th SAARC summit. Commitments were made to resolve the girl/women trafficking. Millions of rupees were spent just to sign a convention on combating the trafficking of girls and women in the region. But the SAARC leaders failed to allocate a single penny to tackle the root causes of the girl/women trafficking. What remains unchanged is that promises of combating trafficking of women for prostitute will keep on going and the oldest profession will also continue unhindered.
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