Hypocrisy and the Prostitution Industry

Trigger warning: This article and anything that links with it contains mentions of the prostitution industry, sex workers, brothels, and other terms associated with the same which may be triggering to some people.

Hypocrisy is one of the most important aspects of human thinking.

It is, of course, the most ignored one as well but it can be seen in many of the workings of society and its mindset. The existence of hypocrisy in society can lead to disregard of many important issues that need to be addressed. The societal mindset about prostitution exhibits some of the most hypocritical thinking out there.

Let me elaborate on why I am making such a statement.

Has modern society spent ages condemning the work of the prostitution industry? Yes.

Throughout this, has the prostitution industry been a lucrative one? Also yes.

Then, the question that arises is, who in the society is running this industry which means, who are its consumers? It is the very people who, in front of the public, argue that sex work is disgraceful and should not be a part of society.

Now, how does this hypocrisy come into play for the prostitution community? Sex workers are an important part of society and yet they are treated with disregard and disrespect. Not just that, most do not receive the same rights and opportunities as other civilians do because of this taboo created around their work.

Let me put this into perspective as well.

Fun fact: prostitution is legal in India. Despite this fact, due to social stigma and moral policing by the authorities, sex workers do not get the treatment they deserve, even lawfully. Although a variety of activities surrounding sex work such as pimping, trafficking, and so on are illegal, sex workers deserve the basic rights guaranteed to them by law.

I believe that the economics of sex work plays an important role in how their life in society pans out. Most women sex workers earn a wage that is double the national average income of women in India. Thus, sex work is a lucrative trade and this, in fact, has led to a growing number of women entering the industry voluntarily.

While human trafficking is an evil that comes with the prostitution industry leading to the forced entrance of young women into the profession, an increasing number of women are entering the industry by choice. However, being forced into the profession does not mean that society gets a free pass into treating all sex workers with disregard nor can their rights as civilians be taken away from them. Many who are brought into the trade involuntarily settle in because they feel that they will never be accepted into society again and thus start living their ‘new’ life. Thus, the social stigma around sex work actually prevents people from escaping from the industry even if they have a chance, creating a paradox.

A bigger issue that arises when this particular morality perspective is associated with the entire industry is when the law and the authorities try to incorporate the moral factor into their functioning. Moral policing is a big issue since people are often held in detention and ‘correction’ camps and are also, at times, rehabilitated against their will. These ‘rescue’ operations are carried out under the pretext of the betterment of the lives of the sex workers but no one takes a moment to ask whether this will actually lead to their betterment. Do they actually want to be ‘rescued’ from their source of livelihood and residence?

All of them want a better quality of life and some even want to exit the profession but to follow a set procedure and not take a rights-based approach will lead to things only becoming worse.

Along with these, morality being factored in leads to another issue. Sex workers are treated as inferior by society and their job is often used as an excuse by people who sexually harass them. They are called sex workers and told that their bodies are supposed to be ‘up for sale’, and thus, chances of sexual harassment go up for them. At the end of the day, sex work remains a consensual act and an act of business as part of the economy.

I believe that the first few basic steps that need to be taken are giving them the rights that they deserve as those carrying out a legal profession and not letting them get ignored due to society’s exclusionary behaviour.

Secondly, legalising more prostitution-related activities has proven to be quite successful in creating a better lifestyle for people involved in the trade. Thus, India too should take steps to accept these such as making brothels legal but regulated, protecting them, and advocating for their rights by formal trade unions, and so on.

Awareness and utilisation of contraceptives have become increasingly essential to the sex workers’ community over time. The provision of the same and widespread use is still an issue that needs to be addressed. NGOs, too, try and take such problems up but with official help sexual health can be promoted and taken care of at a much larger scale. This is another key issue that should come under the basic rights of the workers owing to the profession that they engage in with regular intercourse and higher chances of pregnancy and STIs. Health check-ups and the right kind of preventive measures must also be known to them before they enter the profession and thus, sexual health and awareness with facilities is a principal aspect of the industry.

Last but not the least, most laws don’t take into account the existence of non-female prostitutes or escorts and in fact, consider the existence of their profession to be illegal and this is highly problematic for the community. The first and most essential step for them is to be recognised and be given the same status as female sex workers and much more.

The morality police and the society’s moral compass can only stop governing the lives of important citizens of our society once they are lawfully treated with equal regard and respect.

Hypocrisy and morality, thus, play a huge role in determining the kind of life one leads and how they are able to make decisions for themselves as well.