It Matters: Born into Brothels

 >>Link to article about brothels & sex trade in India<<

Today in class, we watched a documentary called Born into Brothels. It really opened my eyes to the horrific sex trade problem in India. It is a horrible reality for millions of women as well as children worldwide. Millions of women and children under 16 are workers in the sex trade in India alone. The sex trade is especially prevalent in Calcutta, which is a very large “red-light” area in India. Red-light areas are urban areas where a lot of prostitution takes place. Most women living in this Calcutta, as well as in other red light areas, are prostitutes. 

            These prostitutes are doomed to a hard life. They are unaccepted in society. They are often very poor and live in bad and dirty conditions; sometimes with children.  They are often blackmailed, manipulated, and raped by their pimps and police officers due to their involvement in the illicit sex trade. I believe this is a horrible reality that needs to be known about and dealt with worldwide. The number of prostitutes will only continue to rise if nothing changes. Another problem that arises from a thriving sex trade is the spreading of HIV among populations. The percent of infected people has risen to 9% recently in Sonagachi, India- an all time high for the area. HIV has been spreading far, wide, and fast in India. This is because many men come to red light areas in India while working and bring diseases back to their homes in other towns or even countries. If nothing is done soon, an HIV epidemic is bound to occur in India. If it can happen there, can’t it happen anywhere or even everywhere?

            Fortunately, there is an organization that formed in the 1990s called DMSU that represents sex workers in India as well as in other countries where prostitution is prevalent. The DMSU works to prevent HIV among the sex trade and to establish “reliance, respect, and recognition,” in the sex trade. They make condoms available cheap for the sex workers, but not everyone chooses to or is able to always use them. The organization also educates the sex workers about HIV prevention and sometimes tests them for HIV. For their protection, they are often not told when they test positive. I understand that it is so that they are not harmed or killed, but what I don’t understand is why they bother to test the sex workers if they let them go untreated and allow them to most likely spread the disease more. I believe that this group (or possibly a new one) should strive to eliminate HIV and eventually the whole sex trade system all together. 

            All of this matters because no one should have to sell their body just to make a living. Especially children. What is even worse is the rising HIV statistics that are caused by the sex trade. It’s scary because other diseases are also spread. And all of this can be prevented if prostitution and general promiscuity is seized to exist worldwide. I do not want to see widespread HIV and STD epidemics in the world when it can all be prevented so easily. Except it’s not so easy to prevent when not everyone is on board, because there are millions and millions of people involved in the sex trade worldwide; most of it done out of the view, thought, and concern of public officials or law enforcement. Another reason why more should be done to prevent prostitution worldwide is the kids that are born and grow up around its realities. Whether they were involved or their parent is, no child should ever be exposed to the sex trade first hand. If there is an opportunity for me to help these people I would take it because the images in that documentary were heartbreaking and it needs to stop.