Prostitution in Mumbai

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A brothel in Kamathipura Internally renovated but externally unchanged,Heritage Brothel N0 25 in Kamatipura..JPG
A brothel in Kamathipura

Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), is a city in India which contains the neighborhood of Kamathipura, one of the largest red-light districts in Asia. India is regarded as having one of the largest commercial sex trades globally. [1] These neighborhoods are so large and popular that Mumbai has been called the "ultimate destination" for sex tourism. [2] The red-light districts or lal bazaars in Mumbai are inhabited by thousands of sex workers including women, men, children, and transgender people. [3] [4]

Contents

History of Mumbai

Mumbai is the capital city of the state of Maharashtra and is one of the largest cities in India with an estimated population of over 18 million people. India is considered to be the global epicenter of sex work [2] and has the largest commercial sex trade in the world. [1] Mumbai is the largest city in the state of Maharashtra and is often referred to as the ultimate sex tourist destination. [2] India is a country made up of people that celebrate and practice a variety of cultural and religious traditions, and the people that make up India come from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Although India is not unique in gender-discrimination based violence it is a country that on one hand controls the sexuality of women yet is also home to one the largest flourishing commercial sex trades. [1]

One of the red light districts in Mumbai emerged from British colonial rule in the middle of the nineteenth century. It was created out of a fear of British soldiers engaging in homosexual relations with other soldiers. [5] The British also saw an additional reason for needing prostitution, especially amongst the military. It was seen as necessary to stave off boredom among soldiers and to reinforce imperial dominance through sexual control of Indian women. [6] In creating a zone for British soldiers to engage in "safe heterosexual relations" British colonial administration held the power to separate the brothel area from the "respectable" residential areas which granted them power and control over the lives of the sex workers. [5]

Research into sex work in Mumbai originally drew attention to the HIV/AIDS patterns discovered there. Researchers have subsequently studied the state of sex work in Mumbai by interviewing and collecting the narratives of those involved in and affected by sex work.

Terminology

Svati P. Shah, an anthropologist who studies gender and women in South Asia, says that the use of the term prostitution is a matter of context and argues against its use as a universal term that combines all forms of transactional sex into a singular conceptual framework. [3] While those involved in current and past research concerning this issue typically employ the term sex work, others argue that prostitution refers more to human trafficking. [7] Some supporters of the abolition of prostitution reject the use of the term sex worker as they argue that it legitimises prostitution. [8] According to the anthropologist Susanne Asman there were vague terms used in Ichigyang to refer to women engaging in sex work; they were often described as "Bombay going" or "women doing that work". [5]

The terminology used to describe sex work in Mumbai depends on context. [3]

State of sex work in Mumbai

Mumbai contains the largest red light district in Asia, in the neighborhood of Kamathipura. Kamathipura is estimated to have over five thousand sex workers, who are identified as male, female, and transgender. [2] Of the estimated five thousand sex workers located in Kamathipura the majority are assumed to be victims of sex trafficking. [2] However it is difficult to determine the exact number of those involved in trafficking in the red light districts of Mumbai due to the criminal nature of the issue and the scale of it. [2] The victims are typically young girls, and are usually trafficked from the surrounding areas, but they are sometimes trafficked from neighboring countries [2] such as Nepal and Bangladesh. [2] Hijaras can also be found working in the red light districts of Mumbai. It has been argued that hijaras are more likely to participate in high risk sex acts with clients because it is believed they cannot contract or spread disease or illness. [9] Sex workers in Mumbai at brothels and other commercial sex sites are visited by both men from the local area and those traveling to the area in search of employment. [10]

Currently there are a large number of vague restrictions regarding the act of participating in sex work. [5]

Sex workers in Mumbai

Many studies have indicated that sex workers in Mumbai enter into the sex industry for a range of reasons. Many of the interviews and studies that have been conducted demonstrate that when people enter or are forced into the industry it is usually as a result of some kind of crisis. Researchers have used interviews to study how and why women participate in sex work. Through these interviews it has been concluded that female sex workers typically end up in sex work for a variety of reasons ranging from but not limited to marital abuse, death of their husband, poverty, or death of a parent. Researchers have identified these scenarios as some of the most common. [2] Ashwini Tambe, professor and scholar in gender and women studies, argues that in Mumbai the realm of sex work and the role of family are not separate. [11] In studying the role of sex workers in Mumbai, it was also found that many women are sold into sex work by friends, acquaintances, or family members. [2] Increased economic hardship can result in women such as housewives and daily laborers using sex work as a method of securing additional income to support themselves and/or their families. [12]

According to Robert Friedman, an American investigative journalist, human rights organizations say that over 90% of female sex workers in Mumbai are considered indentured servants. [9]

Traditionally research has usually concerned itself with the situation of female and child sex workers in Mumbai, ignoring the increasing proportion of male and transgender sex workers. [13] Including male sex workers in discussions about the state of sex work in Mumbai is necessary, as male sex workers are considered a high-risk group for HIV infection. [14] As research has developed concerning the role of male sex workers in Mumbai it has been demonstrated through interviews that although these men's responses vary with their sexual identities, their soliciting practices, sex roles and clientele, they nevertheless indicate that they entered into sex work as a result of their poor economic status. [2]

As efforts have increased to enforce anti-human trafficking and HIV/AIDS prevention, brothels have become the main target of these preventive measures. This has increased the diversification of sex work occurring in Mumbai as clients have become more likely to seek services outside of brothels because they believe they are less likely to contract HIV/AIDS. [12]

Conditions of sex workers in Mumbai

Social workers have been given the responsibility of addressing the issues associated with sex trafficking in Mumbai, and the large number of young girls trafficked. [2] As the industry continues to expand the demand for young girls has begun to rise. The brothels in the red light districts of Mumbai are patrolled by goondas , thugs who work for or are part of the mafia, to ensure that enslaved sex workers do not escape or run away. [9] Police raids are said to target mostly girls from outside India and also underage girls, who are often kept out of view by brothel owners. [12]

Many of the young women who are sex workers in Mumbai work under madams or have pimps [9]

The madams of female sex workers usually receive payment upfront for the female sex worker performing the sex act. From their wages the female sex workers typically have to pay for electricity, food, rent, interest, and bribes paid to local police. [9]

In recent years Mumbai has reported a dwindling number of brothels as a result of gentrification, heightened anti-trafficking efforts and police enforcement raids. This has resulted in the dispersal of sex workers, increasing their vulnerability. [12] While efforts to encourage women sex workers to use condoms have been emphasized, their users often face stigmatization. [12] Young girls who have been trafficked into sex work often have no autonomy and no choice as to whether or not they use condoms when engaging in sex work. [12] Condoms are also not used when a girl is presented and sold to a client as a virgin – a practice known as sar dhaki – demonstrating that despite targeted efforts to ensure safer working conditions this remain an issue. [12]

HIV and AIDS patterns in Mumbai

Following the first case of HIV/AIDS identified in Mumbai, efforts to prevent the disease were undertaken. With the implementation of these efforts advocates recognized they had to understand the functioning of the sex industry. [10] As efforts to engage with sex workers for HIV/AIDS prevention increased, many of these concentrated solely on female sex workers, neglecting male and transgender sex workers. [10] From 2006 to 2009, Mumbai experienced an intensive HIV prevention campaign and there was increased use of safer sex in brothels and among street-based sex workers. [12] Programs intended to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS range from but are not limited to efforts that include peer based education, condom distribution, increased screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and diseases. [12] Between the years 2006 and 2009 the rates of women with HIV in Maharashtra went from 26% to 27.5%, with a large proportion of these infection rates coming from Mumbai. [12] According to Human Rights Watch more than half of the population of sex workers in Mumbai have contracted HIV. [9] It is a characteristic of some Arab and Indian men to bid for and purchase virgin sex workers from Mumbai as it is believed that sex with a virgin can cure gonorrhea and syphilis. [9] Some female sex workers develop a relationship with their clients, considering them a lover or a partner. In this case they often will not use a condom with the partner, even if they are HIV positive. [12]

Research

Svati P. Shah, the author of Street Corner Secrets and other works about research into the conditions of red light districts in Mumbai, has been working to broaden the discussion about the conditions there. Shah warns those interested in doing research work in Mumbai against sensationalizing the conditions of sex work and the patterns of HIV and AIDS. [13] The anthropologist Susanne Asman has studied the lives of women sex workers who have returned to Nepal after working and living in Mumbai for some years. [5] Over the course of ten years Susanne Asman collected information and conducted fieldwork concerning stories, lives and behaviour patterns of women sex workers returning to their home villages from Mumbai. [5] As research has developed and more nuanced studies have been released many researchers still place much emphasis on the practices and politics of sex work. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex worker</span> Person who works in the sex industry

A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry. According to one view, sex work is voluntary "and is seen as the commercial exchange of sex for money or goods". Thus it differs from sexual exploitation, or the forcing of a person to commit sexual acts.

Kamathipura is a neighbourhood in Mumbai, India known for prostitution. It was first settled after 1795 with the construction of causeways that connected the erstwhile seven islands of Mumbai. Initially known as Lal Bazaar, it got its name from the Kamathis (workers) of other areas of the country, who were labourers on construction sites. Due to tough police crackdowns, in the late 1990s with the rise of AIDS and government's redevelopment policy that helped sex workers to move out of the profession and subsequently out of Kamathipura, the number of sex workers in the area has dwindled. In 1992, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recorded there were 45,000 sex workers here which was reduced to 1,600 in 2009 and 500 in 2018. Many sex workers have migrated to other areas in Maharashtra with real estate developers taking over the high-priced real estate. In 2018 the Maharashtra government sought tenders to demolish and redevelop the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Thailand</span>

Prostitution in Thailand is not itself illegal, but public solicitation for prostitution is prohibited if it is carried out "openly and shamelessly" or "causes nuisance to the public". Due to police corruption and an economic reliance on prostitution dating back to the Vietnam War, it remains a significant presence in the country. It results from poverty, low levels of education and a lack of employment in rural areas. Prostitutes mostly come from the northeastern (Isan) region of Thailand, from ethnic minorities or from neighbouring countries, especially Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. In 2019, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimated the total population of sex workers in Thailand to be 43,000.

Sonagachi is a neighbourhood in Kolkata, India, located in North Kolkata near the intersection of Jatindra Mohan Avenue with Beadon Street and Sovabazar, about one kilometer north of the Marble Palace area. Sonagachi is among the largest red-light districts in Asia and the world with several hundred multi-storey brothels residing more than 16,000 commercial sex workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in India</span>

Prostitution is legal in India, but a number of related activities including soliciting, kerb crawling, owning or managing a brothel, prostitution in a hotel, child prostitution, pimping and pandering are illegal. There are, however, many brothels illegally operating in Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, and Nagpur, among others. UNAIDS estimate there were 657,829 prostitutes in the country as of 2016. Other unofficial estimates have calculated India has roughly 3 million prostitutes. India is widely regarded as having one of the world's largest commercial sex industry. It has emerged as a global hub of sex tourism, attracting sex tourists from wealthy countries. The sex industry in India is a multi-billion dollar one, and one of the fastest growing.

Sanlaap is an Indian feminist non-governmental organisation, established by Indrani Sinha in 1987 in Calcutta. Based in Calcutta, the group aims to protect the human rights of women and girls. Sanlaap is a developmental organisation that works towards correction of social imbalances which present themselves as gender injustice and violence against women and children. The primary work is focused against trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and forced prostitution. As part of its work, the group starts shops to train girls to make a living and foster their independence.

Prostitution in Myanmar is illegal, but widespread. Prostitution is a major social issue that particularly affects women and children. UNAIDS estimate there to be 66,000 prostitutes in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee</span> Nonprofit organization in Calcutta, India

The Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, or simply Durbar, is a collective of 60,000 sex workers in West Bengal. Established on 15 February 1992, in Sonagachi, the largest red-light district in Kolkata, West Bengal, India with estimated 11,000 sex workers, Durbar has been working on women's rights and sex workers' rights advocacy, anti-human trafficking and HIV/AIDS prevention. The Durbar states that its aims are the challenging and altering of the barriers that form the everyday reality of sex workers' lives as they relate to their poverty or their ostracism. Durbar runs 51 free clinics for sex workers across West Bengal, with support from organisations such as the Ford Foundation and the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), who also help Durbar in its initiatives like networking, rights protection and creating alternative livelihood for sex workers.

Prostitution in Kolkata is present in different forms and Kolkata's sex industry is one of the largest in Asia. Prostitution may be brothel-based or non-brothel based as in the case of call girls. India is regarded as having one of the largest commercial sex trades globally. Kolkata has many red-light districts, out of which Sonagachi is the largest red-light district in Asia with more than 50,000 commercial sex workers.

Prostitution in Ecuador is legal and regulated, as long as the prostitute is over the age of 18, registered, and works from a licensed brothel. Prostitution is widespread throughout the country. Many brothels and prostitutes operate outside the regulatory system and the regulations have been less strictly enforced in recent years. 25,000 prostitutes were registered in the year 2000. In 2007 it was estimated that 70% of the prostitutes in the country were from Colombia. The country attracts Colombian prostitutes as the currency is the US$ rather than the unstable Colombian peso. UNAIDS estimate there to be 35,000 prostitutes in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Pakistan</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex workers' rights</span> Human, health, and labor rights of sex workers and their clients

Sex workers' rights encompass a variety of aims being pursued globally by individuals and organizations that specifically involve the human, health, and labor rights of sex workers and their clients. The goals of these movements are diverse, but generally aim to legalize or decriminalize sex work, as well as to destigmatize it, regulate it and ensure fair treatment before legal and cultural forces on a local and international level for all persons in the sex industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Ukraine</span>

Prostitution in Ukraine is illegal but widespread and largely ignored by the government. In recent times, Ukraine has become a popular prostitution and sex trafficking destination. Ukraine is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked transnationally for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. Ukraine's dissolution from the Soviet Union, saw the nation attempt to transition from a planned economy to a market economy. The transition process inflicted economic hardship in the nation, with nearly 80% of the population forced into poverty in the decade that followed its independence. Unemployment in Ukraine was growing at an increasing rate, with female unemployment rising to 64% by 1997. The economic decline in Ukraine made the nation vulnerable and forced many to depend on prostitution and trafficking as a source of income. Sex tourism rose as the country attracted greater numbers of foreign tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Bangladesh</span>

Prostitution is legal and regulated in Bangladesh. Prostitutes must register and state an affidavit stating that they are entering prostitution of their own free choice and that they are unable to find any other work. Bangladeshi prostitutes often suffer poor social conditions and are frequently socially degraded.

Prostitution in Cambodia is illegal, but prevalent. A 2008 Cambodian Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation has proven controversial, with international concerns regarding human rights abuses resulting from it, such as outlined in the 2010 Human Rights Watch report.

Prostitution in Namibia is legal and a highly prevalent common practice. Related activities such as solicitation, procuring and being involved in the running of a brothel are illegal. A World Bank study estimated there were about 11,000 prostitutes in Namibia.

Human trafficking in Nepal is a growing criminal industry affecting multiple other countries beyond Nepal, primarily across Asia and the Middle East. Nepal is mainly a source country for men, women and children subjected to the forced labor and sex trafficking. U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 2" in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in Laos</span>

Prostitution in Laos is regarded as a criminal activity and can be subject to severe prosecution. It is much less common than in neighbouring Thailand. Soliciting for prostitution takes place mainly in the city's bars and clubs, although street prostitution also takes place. The visibility of prostitution in Laos belies the practice's illegality. As of 2016, UNAIDS estimates there to be 13,400 prostitutes in the country.

Prostitution in Togo is legal and commonplace. Related activities such as solicitation, living off the earnings of prostitution or procuring are prohibited. Punishment is up to 10 years imprisonment if minors or violence is involved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Male prostitution in Bangladesh</span>

Male prostitution in Bangladesh is not recognized in any official capacity within the country’s laws and penal code. Despite this, many Bangladeshi men engage in the practice of selling their bodies and selling sex. In most instances, male prostitutes sell their bodies to female clients. But, there are also male prostitutes have sexual encounters with male clients. As Bangladesh is a majority Muslim and socially conservative country, homosexuality is typically discouraged and considered taboo. These negative attitudes towards homosexuality often force male sex workers to be extremely covert. Stigma surrounding male sex work and homosexuality also means that boys who are sex trafficked in Bangladesh are hard to identify and protect under Bangladeshi laws, male sex work is limited to less policed venues, and health outreach to the male sex worker population is extremely difficult.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Dalla, Rochelle L.; Kreimer, Lee M. (13 October 2016). ""After Your Honor is Gone…": Exploration of Developmental Trajectories and Life Experiences of Women Working in Mumbai's Red-Light Brothel Districts". Sexuality & Culture. 21 (1): 163–186. doi:10.1007/s12119-016-9388-4. ISSN   1095-5143. S2CID   146803616.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Karandikar, Sharvari; Gezinski, Lindsay B.; Meshelemiah, Jacquelyn C.A. (July 2013). "A qualitative examination of women involved in prostitution in Mumbai, India: The role of family and acquaintances". International Social Work. 56 (4): 496–515. doi:10.1177/0020872811425804. ISSN   0020-8728. S2CID   73000953.
  3. 1 2 3 Shah, Svati (2014). Street Corner Secrets. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. ISBN   978-0-8223-5689-9.
  4. ↑ Srivastava, Roli (12 June 2017). "Fewer child sex slaves in Mumbai brothels, but underground trade a concern: study". Rueters. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Åsman, Susanne (15 September 2018). Bombay going : Nepali migrant sex workers in an anti-trafficking era. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-1-4985-5855-6. OCLC   1052566705.
  6. ↑ Tambe, Ashwini (19 February 2005). "The Elusive Ingenue:A transnational Feminist Analysis of European Prostitution in Colonial Bombay". Gender and Society: 160–79. doi:10.1177/0891243204272781. S2CID   144250345.
  7. ↑ Haak, Debra M. (14 January 2018). "Who are we talking about when we talk about prostitution and sex work?". The Conversation. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  8. ↑ Bindel, Julie (11 October 2017). "Why prostitution should never be legalised | Julie Bindel". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Friedman, Robert I. (June 1998). "India's shame: Sexual slavery and political corruption are leading to an AIDS catastrophe". Trends in Organized Crime. 3 (4): 60–62. doi:10.1007/s12117-998-1059-x. ISSN   1084-4791. S2CID   147071380.
  10. 1 2 3 Jerajani, Hemangi; Shinde, Santosh; Setia, ManinderSingh; Row-Kavi, Ashok; Anand, Vivek (2009). "Male sex workers: Are we ignoring a risk group in Mumbai, India?". Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology. 75 (1): 41–6. doi: 10.4103/0378-6323.45219 . hdl: 1807/48329 . ISSN   0378-6323. PMID   19172030.
  11. ↑ Tambe, Ashwini (June 2006). "Brothels as families: Reflections on the history of Bombay's1kothas". International Feminist Journal of Politics. 8 (2): 219–242. doi:10.1080/14616740600612855. ISSN   1461-6742. S2CID   145809503.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Bandewar, Sunita V S; Bharat, Shalini; Kongelf, Anine; Pisal, Hemlata; Collumbien, Martine (December 2015). "Considering risk contexts in explaining the paradoxical HIV increase among female sex workers in Mumbai and Thane, India". BMC Public Health. 16 (1): 85. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-2737-2 . ISSN   1471-2458. PMC   4730760 . PMID   26822805.
  13. 1 2 Shah, Svati P. (November 2006). "Producing The Spectacle of Kamathipura". Cultural Dynamics. 18 (3): 269–292. doi:10.1177/0921374006071615. ISSN   0921-3740. S2CID   145719487.
  14. ↑ Srivastava, Ankur; Goldbach, Jeremy T. (28 January 2019). "Pathways to Male Transactional Sex in Mumbai, India". Journal of Homosexuality. 66 (2): 173–188. doi:10.1080/00918369.2017.1398018. ISSN   0091-8369. PMID   29077538. S2CID   6380082.

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