This essay discusses the issues of "HIV, sex traffiking and livelihood" in relation to the international
debate on prostitution. It particularly focuses on two Indian NGOs, the DMSC and SANGRAM, and
how they have engages in this dabate.
DMSC: Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee
SANGRAM: Sampada Grameen Mahila Sanstha
DMSC: "conducts a wide array of programs, including HIV prevention and condom promotion,
literacy and livelyhood training...microcredit schemes, and organizes self-regulatory boards of
sex workers"
SANGRAM: "peer-based condom promotion" and it "prioritized the destigmatization of sex wrok
as key to promoting condim use and reducing HIV/AIDS transmission.
Both of these NGOs have succeded in reducing HIV outbreaks in their respective areas by
the use of "best-practices approaches." (approaches that do not include criminalization and rescue and rehabilitate activities)
My Opinion/Questions/Comments
Although the text introduces the rescue and rehabilitation technique as chiefly malfunctional,
i can't help but wonder if it can be made to work. I do think some sort of rescue is needed and
even more so rehabilitation for those who are willing, or for minors, since it is really unlikely
that any legislation will be passed anytime soon criminalizing prostitution.
I do not understand why criminalization of prostitution is such a bad idea? True, a law forbiding
the latter willl not completely obolish the practice, but in my opinion it will diminish the chances
of the occurance.
I heard that Germany gave striptease clubs tax breaks associated with fine arts,
because according to them sriptease dancing is considered an "art." Interestingly the US
porn industry asked for a bail out, because they claim to receive less income due to free porn
online.
Bibliography: Nongovernmental Politics. New York: Zone Books, 2007.
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