Mention trafficking of women and Gram Niyojan Kendra of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh comes to mind. A pioneering institute, it can be described as the mother of voluntary organisations, training and evaluating them. The Kendra’s latest project, “Girls and Women in Prostitution in India,” assigned by the Government of India, has just been released. The husband-wife authors of the report, Prof K K Mukherjee and Dr Sutapa Mukherjee both of whom hold PhDs in social work, founded the Kendra 31 years ago.
According to the report, there are three million girls and women in commercial sex work. The number of girls and women forced into the trade is increasing alarmingly. Besides, the age of children pushed into the trade is coming down with as young as nine-year-olds being trafficked. Human trafficking for sex is one of three organised international crimes — arms trade and narcotics being the other two — that is a multi-billion dollar industry. They spoke to R Akhileshwari of Deccan Herald on the implications of commercial sexual exploitation of girls and women, besides the dangers posed by unabashed consumerism. Excerpts:
What are the reasons that push women into prostitution?
K K Mukherjee: There are traditional reasons like poverty and illiteracy and the newer ones like globalisation, marketisation, consumerism, emphasis on tourism and hospitality industry, besides expansion of security forces.
Sutapa Mukherjee: Another important reason is the change in our values and attitude towards sex, which is no longer a taboo but is seen as fun and an indulgence. A substantial number of clientlete for prostitution are young males.
The ages of both the client and the prostitute are decreasing?
KKM: Yes, more and more pre-puberty girls are being pushed into the trade because of a myth that having sex with virgins protects men from STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), HIV and so on. Younger men are visiting prostitutes for sex more nowadays prior to their marriage as they are worried about not performing. They have a huge fear of being inadequate, sexually. Also, from being passive partners, women have become sexually demanding and the men are under pressure to perform.
SM: Prostitution in brothels nowadays has reduced because it is both stigmatised and only lower class men go there. If a girl goes out she makes much more. Nowadays group sex has increased as also perverse sex. I have seen girls with cigarette burns and cuts inflicted by blades.
How do you react to the ongoing controversy over sex education?
KKM: It is all politics…
SM: The introductory classes should be given at home, by parents. You have to be truthful and frank with your children. Ideally, it should start at 10 years of age, before puberty. It is the responsibility of the family. When home is the first classroom, it becomes easier for teachers.
KKM: The contents of the sex lessons and their methodology should be well thought out. Before we introduce sex education, let there be debate with parents, a conducive atmosphere should be created by preparing the community. Not just the children, teachers too should be trained on how to teach and talk about sex and school managements counselled to introduce sex education. It should not be a bolt from the blue. If this is not done then the children will get most of their information from their peers which is not always correct and misconceptions are spread.
SM: In fact, contents of sex education should be different for different classes of people, depending on their background, their need. For instance, slum dwellers or agricultural labourers have no time or patience at the end of long day to interact with their children and talk about sex. Or they may not have a mindset for the task.
KKM: But this will become a costly affair, developing a different curriculum.
SM: It will not be a waste because then, crimes against women, rape and trauma will be reduced; there will be a reduction in STDs and hopefully, HIV infection.
You said values are important. Do you mean values are getting eroded today or there are no values at all?
SM: Consumerism has changed our values. We want to acquire more and more, whether it is a new model TV or a different shade of lipstick.
We have to tell our children to avoid the rat race, teach them restraint and control. And if our word as parents has to carry weight, then we have to live our values and our beliefs. The children will practice what they see.
KKM: Why is only sex and liquor seen as fun? We should teach our children to seek pleasure elsewhere. We need to explore alternate forms of excitement. Explore, trek, go on adventures. Let’s have more creativity centres, more activity clubs. But we have more and more bars, pubs and discos. These are heavily supported by the market and an entire generation is being led up the wrong path.
Parents have become earning machines. They have no time to give to their children so they give them huge amounts of money, too many toys and the latest gadgets in the market. We can still turn ourselves away from this lifestyle provided the family, teachers and the community get together.
