The picture was shot a few years back and is part of my documentary of Peela House Red Light Area the last old bastion of street prostitutes also known as the Mumbai Cages .
Sadly because of my pictures being stolen here at Flickr I disabled this set Redlight Area of Mumbai and the Hijras of India from public view .
A Hijra beauty Heena stayed at the cages and most of the property belongs to the Hijras that own women and hijra prostitutes I am told ,,I have not visited Heena for a very long time.
I personally felt Prostitution should be legalized in a phased manner and with outputs from the various social NGO s that work with them.. might be the exploitation and the kidnappings and women sold here might end ,, and totally banning and criminalizing child prostitution of both genders .
But than Article 377 needs to be scrapped too..
After I had written my thoughts my American friend from Florida added her views that I wanted others to read so with her permission I am posting it here .. she has some valid and cogent points universal though she lives in America.
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Her words
Legalizing prostitution only increases the demand for it by deeming promiscuous behavior socially acceptable, simply continuing the cycle of sexual abuse in the sex industry.
Selling sex is a dangerous, harmful profession and shouldn’t be promoted by legislation. Legalization means that the state imposes regulations under which women can be prostituted. In effect, regulation means that under certain conditions it is permissible to exploit and abuse women.
In locations where the sex trade has been legalized, including Australia, Germany and the Netherlands, the number of sex trafficking victims significantly increased after legalization, and violence is still prevalent in the industry.
Prostitution is an extreme form of gender discrimination. Legalization of this violence to women restricts women's freedom and citizenship rights. If women are allowed to become a legitimate commodity, they are consigned to a second-class citizenship.
And that is not even going into the issue of how the behavior is against God's laws.
Discrimination against women is still rampant all over the world, and I understand that men really don't get that. But, you should. That is what we need to be working toward, NOT MAKING IT WORSE!
Sorry, for the rampage, Firoze. I get far too frustrated with the whole subject matter. Prostitution seems to be "acceptable" in so many ways.... after all it's called the "oldest profession". The way things are now, these women end up being the "criminals" even when many/most are being forced into the "business". Those doing the forcing and pimping are overlooked. Occasionally, the law will work correctly and the 'pimp' will get arrested and taken off the street. Without that law, the women would no longer have any protection. I know all the arguments about "but, they could get healthcare" and keep them out of jail. Sex traffickers often target vulnerable women with abusive backgrounds. These women need help to break the cycle rather than continue it as a socially acceptable commodity. The real answer is more along the lines of criminalizing the customers, to help get rid of the demand. Acknowledge the violence and exploitation for what it is; educate and inform and teach that all human life is a blessing that should be cherished. People say that is impossible, that prostitution will be around forever.... why is that? Why would we even accept that as a possibility? Never should the abuse of another human be legal.
The only reason any of these things happen... from domestic violence to these beggars being overlooked and abused, is because humans have forgotten the very basic human interaction should be to seek and find those things which neither take from nor destroy another soul's progress or abilities. If we can teach that to the world.......
