Sex workers rehabilitated as cops

The Supreme Court has taken initiative to rehabilitate sex workers, it has transformed two sex workers into police constables.

The story of the two sex workers qualifying to become constables with proper training and exposure was naratted to the Supreme Court's panel headed by senior advocate Pradip Ghosh by Andhra Pradesh government's representative.

As per the recent statistics- 3,498 sex workers were rescued and 2,280 given vocational training of which 700 were placed in different jobs. Though almost 60% of the rescued sex workers were suffering from HIV, it did not discouraged 1,046 from getting self employed and 321 were more engaged in marketing facilities.

However, the failuer of earlier rehabilitation schemes was summed up in Maharashtra. It said that pimps have a very strong nexus and get to know about  the sex workers and their movements after having being rescued before their identities can be protected and get hold of the women again, thus posing a threat to their safety as well as the process of their rehabilitation.

NGO Prajwal, through the advocate Aparna Bhat told the panel that it had sensitized different industries, as a result of which many women were employd and working with firms like Tata and Amul.

Karnataka government said its earlier efforts to rehabilitate 22,000 sex workers through Devdasi Rehabilitation Programme did not work out and many returned to the field of trade. But the rehabilitation measures showed that 120 of the 750 women trained as beauticians stick to the new profession.

Tamil Nadu also presented its statistics relating to sex workers which would make a bench of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra feels justified  aout their new initiative to give them a chance to leave prostitution and get back to their mainstream.

The state said it had rescued 3,800 sex workers in 2010-11 and 70% of them expressed their willingness to be rehabilitated. But the shocking part is most of the girls are not only HIV positive but are also drug addicts because of which they have several personal disorders.

West Bengal government told the Supreme Court panel that approximately 1,000 sex workers  have already been rehabilitated in the state. These people have settled their lives with their new jobs and are not likely to turn back.

News Reported by AR for Newsvision