The complicated road to recovery for Indian women forced into sex work

Prajwala: A Pathway Out of Sex Work in India

Key Concepts:

• Prajwala: An Indian organization founded by Sunitha Krishnan dedicated to rescuing women from sex trafficking and providing rehabilitation.
• Trafficking: The illegal movement of people for exploitation, often involving coercion, deception, or force.
• Abolitionism (in the context of sex work): The belief that prostitution should be abolished and is inherently harmful.
• Raid-and-Rescue Approach: A law enforcement tactic involving police raids on brothels to remove women, often presuming they are trafficking victims.
• Misogyny: Dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women.
• Trauma Bonding/Stockholm Syndrome: Psychological responses where victims develop positive feelings towards their abusers.

I. The Scope of Sex Work and Prajwala’s Intervention

India is believed to have as many as three million sex workers, many of whom are driven into the trade due to poverty or coercion. Prajwala, meaning “Eternal Flame,” is an organization that has assisted over 32,000 women in finding alternatives to sex work over the past thirty years. Founded by Sunitha Krishnan, Prajwala operates by conducting police raids on brothels (with a focus on ensuring respectful treatment of the women involved) and providing shelter, rehabilitation, and vocational training. The organization has received international recognition and philanthropic support, but its methods have also sparked debate regarding the best approach to assisting women in the sex industry.

II. Sunitha Krishnan’s Personal Journey and Founding of Prajwala

Sunitha Krishnan’s motivation stems from her own experience of being gang-raped at age 15. She recounts the societal blame and judgment she faced, describing how she was labeled as “loose” and “fallen.” Instead of succumbing to shame, Krishnan channeled her experience into a fight against what she identifies as a deeply ingrained culture of misogyny and the resulting exploitation of women through the sex trade. She states, “I chose not to [feel ashamed, guilty].” This personal trauma fueled her dedication to social work and the establishment of Prajwala.

III. Stories of Trafficking and Exploitation

The report features the testimonies of several women who were rescued by Prajwala.

• Lakshmi Priya: Fell victim to a scam marriage scheme, was sold into prostitution, and had her daughter taken from her. She endured violence if she refused to comply with demands.
• Nazia: Became her family’s breadwinner after her father’s death and was lured to Hyderabad with promises of better work, only to be forced into sex work. She describes being subjected to daily abuse and forced substance use, stating she was forced to serve “20 customers per day.”
• Siraj: Was promised a tailoring job but ended up in a brothel. She attempted suicide by cutting her wrist and was subsequently rescued by police and placed in Prajwala’s shelter. She is now employed as a bookbinder.

These stories highlight the common threads of poverty, deception, and violence that characterize the experiences of many women trafficked into the sex trade.

IV. Prajwala’s Rehabilitation Programs and Revenue Generation

Prajwala offers a range of vocational training programs, including tailoring, welding, and carpentry, designed to equip survivors with marketable skills. These programs also function as revenue-generating businesses, covering the salaries of both the trainees and their instructors. Krishnan emphasizes the impact of these skills on the women’s self-esteem, noting that seeing women welders on construction sites challenges deeply ingrained societal perceptions. She states, “When they go to construction sites, everybody, like, stands back, oh, my God, women welders, we have never seen them.”

V. Critiques of the Raid-and-Rescue Approach

The report presents a counter-argument to Prajwala’s approach, highlighting concerns raised by human rights advocates and those working within the sex industry. Vibhuti Ramachandran, an anthropologist at the University of California, Irvine, argues that many women enter the sex industry voluntarily due to limited economic and educational opportunities. She questions why the sex industry is “exceptionalized” compared to other forms of labor driven by economic necessity. Ramachandran points to the influence of U.S. anti-trafficking policies in the early 2000s, which led to increased funding for raid-and-rescue operations and potentially substandard shelters. She suggests that this approach can confiscate women’s livelihoods without providing adequate alternatives.

VI. Legal Framework and Challenges within the System

Prostitution is technically legal in India, but related activities like soliciting and operating a brothel are criminalized. This leads to brothel raids where women are often presumed to be trafficking victims and placed in shelters. Ramachandran notes that this results in a “patchwork of shoddy enforcement” and inadequate shelter standards. Releasing women from shelters is often a lengthy process due to a slow court system. Krishnan acknowledges that up to 15% of women return to sex work after leaving shelters, citing factors like trauma bonding and Stockholm syndrome.

VII. Krishnan’s Abolitionist Stance and Focus on Education

Sunitha Krishnan firmly identifies as an abolitionist, believing that sex work cannot be considered a legitimate profession. She argues that it represents “the oldest form of patriarchal legitimization of commodifying a woman's body as a sexual object.” She emphasizes the importance of education as a long-term solution, running mainstreaming programs in distressed neighborhoods to provide children with access to tutoring and school readiness programs. The goal is to provide future generations with more options and prevent them from falling into the same cycle of exploitation.

VIII. A Success Story and Conclusion

The report concludes with the story of Lakshmi Priya, who has reunited with her daughter, now a first-year law student. This exemplifies the potential for positive change through Prajwala’s intervention. The report ultimately presents a complex picture of the challenges and debates surrounding sex work and trafficking in India, highlighting the need for nuanced approaches that address both the immediate needs of survivors and the underlying systemic issues that contribute to vulnerability.