Theme: Red Light District (Kamathipura)
Group Members: Radia, Elizaveta, and Mel
Comment #1 – Radia
Kamathipura is a red-light district in Mumbai, India. It’s hot a spot for trafficking and brothels. Although the law prohibits this behavior, the district and the police are able to coexist peacefully. They get away with it because either the police are bribed with money or they are using the brothel’s services. The district traffics women and young girls. In a cynical point of view, the trafficking industries in India bring in lots of revenue, which is why it’s tough to eliminate the brothels. However, the victim must pay the price of rape and abuse. A lot of these young women have to stay here until they pay off their debts to the owners. Yet, it’s very tough to leave the district because of the lack of opportunities. These women are brainwashed and manipulated, until they no longer realize their worth. These money-hungry industries break these girls. Unfortunately, this is the common fate for a majority of the girls who live in red-light districts in India.
Coment #2 – Elizaveta
Prostitution is one of the oldest profession in our world. Thus it would never go away. People are going to do it whatever it is banned or not. However, if prostitution is legalized, revenues boost GDP and regulations protect customers and workers. AIDS rate will be lowered. Human trafficking, which remains a big problem in Kamathipura, will be almost diminished. Employees, who do not have a job choice, and who need to work to survive, will have workers’ rights and protection from violence and diseases. A lot of developed countries, such as Germany and Netherlands, legalized prostitution, and it did not destroy the morality of a community but brought a lot of advantages. Minor girls are never involved in activities of those industries. On the contrary, India is suffering from it. As Radia mentioned, a lot of underage girls are tortured, beaten and forced to participate in those activities. Bribery is another serious issue, and by legalizing prostitution, it will become irrelevant, at least in the sex trades.
Comment #3 – Mel
As Elizaveta stated, prostitution will never go away due to the demand that exists within human culture. However, within Kamathipura, the percentage of sex workers have decreased within the recent years. The people who live there who are not sex workers and do not engage in the adult industry in the district has exceeded the amount of sex workers that reside in the district. The label that Kamathipura has due to its previous dominant sex culture has affected these residents negatively. Residents find it shameful to tell others that they live in the district, or find that it might have a negative impact on their reputation. Perhaps, the sex culture has dominated Kamathipura for a long time and is important to the history of the region, but it is causing a liability towards the current society. It is a positive news that this culture is starting to die out for the sake of both the non-sex workers and sex workers. The women and children that are in the adult industry will start to realize their worth, as Radia mentioned, and the local reputation can slowly be restored.
Elizaveta and Mel make a good point about the benefits of legalizing prostitution. With legalization comes regulation, and therefore rights that will prevent many underage girls from becoming slaves to the trade. I think it is important that such establishments are legalized, especially because they will exist either way. However, if they are legalized, less women will be forced into prostitution and hopefully the establishments will become more safe.
Elizaveta makes a great point, prostitution will never go away because there is a demand for it. Whenever there is a demand for something there will always be a supply, legal or not. I think it is important that prostitution is legalized because it will be safer for all, including the prostitutes .