Essay on Rescue Homes for Destitute Women in India !
There are several social service institutions such as the Rescue Homes, Vigilance Homes, Vigilance Rescue Shelters, Stri-Sadans, and Nari Niketans etc. operating in different parts of India for rehabilitation of destitute girls and women who have fallen a prey to prostitution willingly or per chance.
The Nari Niketan functioning at New Delhi under the Social Welfare Board offers all possible help to the morally wrecked girls and deserted women, thus preventing them from landing into the world of prostitution. Similar services are rendered by the Mahila Ashram at Wardha.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The States of Madras and Maharashtra seem to have taken up the task of rehabilitation of women prostitutes on priority basis. Referring to the problem of prostitution, Smt. V.T. Laxmi, the Chief Inspectress of Women’s Institutions, Madras, commented that majority of the women drift into prostitutous life on account of neglected parental care and for want of real home.
In order to tackle the problem of prostitution effectively, it is necessary to focus greater attention on the exploiters of prostitutes and pimps who carry on their illegal activities in such a manner that the poor girls who fall a prey to these rogues are left with no other alternative but to continue a life of shame and disgrace as a prostitute.
It is further to be noted that the prostitutes cannot approach the law courts for redress against their exploiters because of the illegality of their occupation. This affords sufficient protection to pimps who are associated with prostitutes. It is disgusting to note that the agents of prostitutes are operating in big cities and they even do not hesitate to procure girls from respectable families and force them to submit to their vicious wishes and lead a prostitutous life.
Besides this, in some cases the husband himself voluntarily offers his wife to others for sexual enjoyment in exchange of money or some other material gain. The problem of repressing this type of prostitution obviously remains unsolved with the existing laws. It is, therefore, desired to inculcate respect for moral values and self-restraint among people through an improvised system of moral education.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The social and correctional institutions can certainly contribute to educate the delinquents who have deviated from the righteous path and landed into the world of immorality. Since the evil is deep rooted in Indian society, the legislators and the social reformers should not feel disheartened if their efforts to repress the menace of prostitution do not bring immediate success.
The problem has to be tackled on all fronts with courage and determination keeping in view the rapidly changing behavioural patterns of Indian society. The vice is sure to vanish in course of time. It must be stated that the network of social agencies which are presently at work to repress prostitution and со-related offences are doing commendable service. It is, however, a different matter that with the new methods of repression, new techniques are devised by the professional pimps and prostitutes to carry on their occupation.
The judiciary has also expressed its concern for the unabated increase in prostitution. The Supreme Court of India in Gaurav Jain v. Union of India, inter alia observed:
“Despite legislation which has been brought to control prostitution it has been on the increase and what was once restricted to certain areas of human habitation has now spread into several localities and the problem has become serious”.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The Apex Court ruled that the children born to prostitutes should be separated from their mother as they should not be permitted to live in inferior and undesirable surroundings of prostitute homes. This is particularly true so far young girls are concerned whose body and mind are likely to be abused with growing age for being admitted into the profession of mother.
The Supreme Court was once again called upon to review the plight of prostitutes in its recent decision in Gaurav Jain v. Union of India & others. It issued directions for the prevention of induction of women in various forms of prostitution, their rescue from vile flesh-trade and rehabilitation through various welfare measures so as to provide their dignity of persons, means of livelihood and socio-economic empowerment. The Court observed:
“It is the duty of the State and all voluntary non-governmental organisations and public spirited persons to come to the aid of prostitutes to retrieve them from prosecution, rehabilitate them with a helping hand to lead a life with dignity of person, self-employment through provisions of education, financial support, developed marketing facilities as some of major avenues in this behalf. Marriage and acceptance by family is also another important input to rekindle the faith of self-respect and self-confidence”.
The Apex Court remarked that flesh-trade should be viewed as victims of adverse socio-economic circumstances rather than as offenders.
It must, however, be noted that in India, prostitution was known to have been in existence from ancient-times. Kautilya, in his “ARTHSHASTRA” has referred to the duties of Superintendent of Prostitute Homes. Vatsayana in his KAMASUTRA has dealt with all aspects of sexual life including those of prostitutes.
Prostitution also flourished well under the patronage of Moghul rulers. The Harem of Moghul Nawabs consisted of hundreds of concubines. Visit to prostitute’s house was taken to be a symbol of status and young boys of Royal family and nobles were sent to prostitutes so that they could not only learn about the pleasurable sex but also gain knowledge about the manners in this field.
Later, during the British period prostitution became the source of great entertainment for male foreigners and the two World Wars gave great impetus to brothels and prostitution houses with the large number of foreign soldiers and sea-men visiting these places and paying for sex-enjoyment handsomely. Poverty, sex perversions, unhappy and disturbed family life, abnormal carnal appetite etc. have become the known causes of prostitution which has upset the equilibrium of Indian society.
Now-a-days, a new form of prostitution called ‘Clandestine Prostitution’ is constantly increasing wherein maid servants, mistresses, and women labourers indulge in illegal sex for earning additional income. They make themselves available in lonely houses, hotels, lodges and even on way-side desolate places. The decline of family life, decay of traditional morality, craze for pleasure and luxurious life and commmercialised sale of contraceptives are some of the factors which are responsible for clandestine prostitution.
Though Devdasi system in Southern India was a form of prostitution, it is now banned by the law. But it still continues in certain parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra in some clandestine form.