Let all prostitutes be rehabilitated
By Reeta Sharma

I HAVE always been fond of reading Hindi literature as much as English or Russian books. American literature could not sustain my interest except for "Old Man and the Sea" or Ayn Rand. Hindi literature is still my favourite but mostly the books written before the fifties. Between English and Russian, I have always been more attached to the latter, with authors like Chekhov, Tolstoy, Maxim Gorky being my favourite ones.

Talking of Hindi literature I must admit that Prem Chand, Mahashweta Devi, Nirmal Verma, Agyey, Sadat Hassan Manto, Sahir Ludhianvi and Kedar Nath Singh moulded my thinking during the growing process. I always found Manto’s and Sahir’s language and expression extremely gripping and their writings closer to reality, with imagination being a matter of only creative style. While Sahir’s poetry, mostly in Hindi film songs, has given me hope, inspiration and romanticism, Manto etched in my mind emotionalism, consideration for others and compassion. Though born in Samrala, Manto died in Pakistan two months before I was born. Yet how often I have wished he had opted to live in India during the bloody partition.

Sadat Hassan Manto wrote in Urdu but most of his works are available in Hindi. He wrote on the lives of the poor and deprived besides sensitive social issues and exploitation of women. Among all the burning issues of society, one that Manto dealt with extensively was prostitution. He wrote ‘Hatak", "Kali Salwar", "Khushia", "Harta Chala Gaya", etc and many such stories which exposed the hypocricy, contradictions and paradoxes of our society, regarding the unfortunate profession of prostitution.

Manto, it seems, was deeply hurt and concerned about the women who got trapped into prostitution. He has touched the subject with sensitivity, baring the nakedness of the universal truth that prostitution is ugly, yet an integral part of human life. Even Sahir Ludhianvi paid an emotional tribute to women who were forced into prostitution with songs like, "Aurat Ne Janam Diya Mardon Ko". However, Manto beat all writers of his times by touching on this subject in at least a dozen of his famous stories.

Through one of his characters Manto wrote, "Prostitution is the oldest profession of the world". In yet another story he ridicules society for looking down upon the prostitutes and indulging in criminal hypocricy. At one stage the wise and powerful locals take a unanimous decision to banish the prostitutes living amongst them, beyond the boundary of the municipality. However, after a couple of years a full-fledged locality grows around the area from where the prostitutes were banished. Once again the wise and the influential are shown debating as to where to drive away the prostitutes now. He weaves the story with his typical deftness of style and skill. His writings grip his readers as if they are under a spell of swimming with him subconsciously, and being one with the characters, completely losing their own identity.

I am sure that it is Sadat Hassan Manto who has left such an indelible impact on my mind that till date I have never been able to forget this story. The incredible effect this story had on my impressionable mind could be gauged from the fact that I do not hate prostitutes. On the contrary I have a soft corner for all the women who are trapped in this profession. I am convinced that they are victims of circumstance. Manto says it is the oldest profession of the world. But how old? What is it after all? Who made the laws and what laws? These are some of the questions that have often troubled my mind. I was fairly restless when I read a news item that two young women, living by themselves in a village in a subdivision of Rohtak, were ordered by the SDM to be removed from the area on charges of prostitution. Again, I was haunted by Manto’s story. Has the removal of the two women eradicated prostitution? Why does this irony exist even today in the so-called modern century?

Like the riddle of Adam and Eve even this riddle remains unsolved. Who causes prostitution — the prostitute or her client? The definition of prostitution is primarily based on culturally determined values that have differed in societies and countries throughout the centuries. However, the Oxford dictionary meaning of prostitution is "engaging in sexual activity promiscuously both by women and men in return for financial or personal gains.

In ancient Greece, it appears that a class of professional courtesans were allowed to coexist within society. These women were primarily foreigners or slaves or freed women who not only cultivated their physical beauty but also added to their personality by developing many talents, besides enriching their brains. In fact this practice set these women as a class apart, drawing men to them who could not seek beauty or brains in an average woman. They were called Hetaira in Greek. They mostly lived fashionably alone or two or three of them together. Records say they enjoyed an enviable position of wealth and were taxed by the state. These women enjoyed greater freedom than the married ones, who were culturally bound to live within the four walls of their home. These women were frequented by married men but society did not object to the practice. The physical beauty and cultural accomplishments of these Greek courtesans primarily enabled them to earn their bread because society did not permit them any other respectable alternative.

However, during the Middle Ages, the church made some notable attempts in Europe to rehabilitate the ‘regretful and conscience-stricken prostitutes.’ There was an effort to find grooms for them to marry and such marriages were funded by the church. Nevertheless, prostitution continued to flourish despite the fact that European society was apparently strictly governed by the much-approved civil and decorous love through marriages. Prostitution was accepted as integral part of human life, for it was fully protected under law and licences. Interestingly, Europe also earned a large volume of revenue from prostitution.

Again records show that brothels were opened in all the main cities of Europe. The earnings of these places were equally shared by the cities and universities. Eventually, even British Parliament stepped in when it began licensing brothels which were earlier licensed by the bishop of Winchester.

However, in the 16th century because of the widespread acceptance of prostitution, an epidemic of venereal disease broke out. This alarmed the European society, which then was forced to take certain steps to ensure general hygiene and health care of the prostitutes. Soon after the Reformation Movement followed, forcing the closure of all brothels. What is significant to note is that despite the closure of brothels, the venereal disease continued to kill people, inviting further strictness in rules. These efforts met with no success. By 1899 almost the entire world joined to stamp out prostitution. Two decades later in 1921 the League of Nations formulated a Committee on Trafficking in Women and Children (CTWC).

As the matter stands today, most of Europe has accepted prostitution as an inseparable part of human life. Today laws related to prostitution ensure checking of health hazards, besides the crimes associated with it. England, through a parliamentary Act of 1959, has prohibited open soliciting by prostitutes. However, they are allowed to ‘operate’ from their homes. Any prostitute who wishes to get out of this profession is fully supported by the state in her rehabilitation into any other source of livelihood.

In almost all states of the USA today, prostitution and brothels are totally banned. But the oldest profession exists all over this country and the people and the state are fully aware of it. Nevertheless, there is no law which may enable women to help escape from this profession in case they were trapped in it as victims of circumstances. China, on the other hand, and the erstwhile Soviet Bloc countries claim that they have succeeded in eradicating prostitution from their land. But rampant child prostitution in China and erstwhile Soviet states makes a mockery of their claim.

In India, too, prostitution has existed throughout the centuries. In Egypt, Akkadian, a class of sacred prostitutes, found throughout the ancient Middle East, worshipped goddess Oedeshu in the 19th and 20th dynasties (1317-1085 BC). It has a similarity with the Indian tradition of "devdasis", who were also called sacred prostitutes. I was aghast at this kind of expression. If women became prostitutes in the name of gods and temples, society was willing to give them the status of "sacred prostitutes". The tragedy of "devdasis" is well known by now. They were primarily the deserted daughters, wives and widows who were not skilled in any profession to support themselves. But people of the time readily bought the myth that they were God’s chosen women.

In our country women have suffered for centuries in the male-dominated society. As a widow she was expected to shave off her head, wear a white dhoti, eat only once a day and remain outside the main house. Even today the widows deserted at "Banaras ghat" are a shocking example of the existing attitude of our society. Similarly, the birth of a daughter is still not welcome in a majority of rural homes and many homes in cities, too. Against this backdrop, Indian women who are caught in prostitution are actually the ones whom life has pushed into it. Poverty in our country has forced many parents to sell their children, irrespective of their gender. So it is poverty which has sent many women into prostitution, besides other factors.

Somehow male prostitution as compared to the female kind has neither flourished nor invited as much attention. Nevertheless, in this century the law treats both male and female prostitutes on equal terms. Of course the law differs from society to society and country to country. In practice in our country, mostly it’s the women prostitutes who have been forced to face not only the law but also the hostile society. Prostitution is reprehensible. But who indulges and causes it? Men or women? If dreams were wishes that could be fulfilled, I would like to see all prostitutes rehabilitated and lead a life of dignity. Their children face social stigma for no fault of theirs. Who are the real guilty is the question that keeps haunting me. When will society accuse the men who first give birth to a prostitute and then want her to be stoned, as was the practice in India. Today literal stoning has been replaced with accusing fingers, stringent laws, etc. But the world of a prostitute remains the same — dark and soulless, without any hope of escape.