Women are impacted by abuse and violence for a lifetime. Their families, children and entire communities are submerged in its aftermath
The core issue in the sex work industry is who should be prosecuted. Is the volunteer sex worker being exploited, abused if she was initially manipulated into sex work?
As a social worker in training, I worked early on with women in the Kamathipura red light district in Mumbai. De-legitimising their work made it tough on them. They were locked up over the weekends, with young children at home and no outlet for getting bail. None of the 20 or so women that I daily interacted with chose their occupation. Some were sold, some were raped, some were born into homes where this was the profession. Later, it became a way of life for them.
Their trade paid for their children’s boarding and their mothers’ medical needs and of course, rent. Needless to say, none of the sex workers was rich or middle class. They had no family to provide for them. They were from rural areas of Andhra and Odisha — this was 25 years back. They affected my world view.
They made me an advocate for the removal of laws like IPTA. They also made me want to see a stronger system for the rescue of younger women and prosecution of the criminal contractors, sensitization of police towards the women and their trade, and so on.
Does work need to have a higher calling? Why should there be a justification to meet our idea of morality? This is a question California-based groups that defend porn, always ask. Their question is misleading. It glosses over the how and why of anyone subjecting themselves to the transgression of their body space. What aim is worth the dignity of a human being? Think of the 'me too' movement and the conviction of ‘Harvey Weinsteins’ of Hollywood. Did aspiring to be a Hollywood actress mean being ready to go through a casting couch and exploitation of their bodies?
In India too, the aspirational identity is tangible, especially for young women. Also, real is the intentional influencing that occurs of young minds, designed to blur lines of ethics, morality, and undesirable actions and their consequences. But women are impacted by experiences of abuse and violence for a lifetime. Their families, their children, their entire communities are submerged in its aftermath. It includes psychological dysfunction, physical trauma, and remains undiagnosed and untreated because of the associated stigma.
A review of the porn industry in the US can help make us Indians even more cautious. The compulsions of modernity are visible in American society; as are a commitment to the market economy, neoliberal culture, dominance of well-funded lobby groups and drawbacks in the policy formation process.
The porn industry in the US is estimated to contribute $20 billion a year to the economy. It is a frequently debated topic but only for political posturing. Influential libertarian groups advocate for choice and freedom as core justification of the industry.
In the US, the issue is only prosecutable if the parties involved are minors. Multiple stakeholders with varying power differentials have a role to play in this policy and practice. Even though, several studies document that actual abuse and violence against women is what leads to the creation of pornographic materials. And there is plenty of research on violence and abuse being caused by the consumption of pornography. And it feeds into crimes of human trafficking and child pornography.
India is currently debating the prosecution of a celebrity generating pornography from unwilling and unknowing young women. That there is a debate is indicative of how the complexity of the issue is lost on most urbane mindsets. Several evolved handles on social media platforms have offered the occupational-choice argument. This is like dismissing the 'me too’ problems.
Powerful social influencers make a certain lifestyle or an unfettered ambitious identity appear a virtue. They are by default also pushing the argument that all pathways to this are legitimate and desirable. They also do not have the intellectual capacity or the compass of social justice to see the vulnerability of the potential victims.
Ultimately, the issue is of class. Our lens as we assess criminality and victimization must be based on social justice and class equity. Why are those who make pornographic videos rich and powerful men? Why are the victims of abuse middle-class or poor women? And the state must not guess its commitments. It must always err on the side of those victimized and lean towards their protection.
(The writer is Coach, Academic, and Author of 'The Making of Indian Woman Hood - Red Chilli Pickle and Moonlit Terraces'. The views expressed are personal.)
