Number of sex workers grows steadily

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Dec 21 : Although sex and related matters are still a taboo in Manipuri society, the number of female sex workers (FSWs) is growing continuously in the State.
The socio-economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic which hit the world in 2019 and the violent crisis which erupted on May 3, 2023 have led to a dramatic growth in the number of FSWs.
24 year old Thambal (name changed) who works as an FSW at North AOC told The Sangai Express that she did not take up the profession out of volition.    
“Even though I want to give up this profession, I feel I’m under immense pressure from different quarters. If any one can pull us out from the flesh trade and help rejoin the mainstream, that is most welcomed. However, if they cannot help us, they better remain silent.
“They cannot help us yet they are treating us with contempt. Such treatment is a big deterrent to any attempt to come out of the shameful profession”, she  said.
“Nonetheless, we are hoping that one day we will give up the flesh trade, rejoin the mainstream and  live with our families”, Thambal said.
“We are also human beings. Will abusing and treating us with contempt bring a solution to the prostitution? Are we not entitled to any rights?” Thambal said.
As per reports, there are more than 3500 FSWs in Imphal East and Imphal West.            
According to these reports, even girls of just 15 years have taken up this profession.
In certain cases, some of these young girls were rescued by NGOs and handed over to relevant homes.
Almost 20 per cent of the FSWs don’t go back home and the maximum number of FSWs are in the age group of 25-40. Most of the FSWs are widows, divorcees or women belonging to underprivileged or broken families.    
Some women drug users also became FSWs after they were cast out by their own families, according to the reports.
Meetei Leimarol Sinnai Shang (MLSS) secretary Soubam Inaocha said that the number of FSWs will grow corresponding to the economic decline of a society.
Detention or physical punishment or treating them with contempt cannot take them away from their profession, Inaocha said.
Maintaining that FSWs should be seen as afflicted by a sort of psychological and behavioural disorder, Inaocha asserted that the society needs to treat them with compassion and care, and the Government should take up appropriate measures for them.
All female injecting drug users are not FSWs. The number of female injecting drug users among the FSWs is not very large, she said.
There are certain behaviours among the FSWs which are not common among the general public. It needs a specific centre to mend these behaviours of FSWs.
The FSWs should also be given skill development training and vocational courses which can create sources of income for them, she said.
Encompassing FSWs in the Government schemes taken up for widows, single women and women belonging to BPL class, and paying a little extra attention to them can go a long way in rehabilitating the FSWs, Inaocha said.
If the society continues to treat FSWs with contempt, they will remain in hiding and if they remain in hiding, the State’s social and health sectors will be seriously affected, she said.
All stakeholders need to work collectively with a view to keeping the FSWs under control, the MLSS secretary said.
She said that the harassment and contempt meted to the FSWs by the society is too much and senseless.
There is no harm in FSWs going into hiding if their behaviours are mended and steady sources of income are arranged for them. But if they go into hiding without mending their behaviour, it will do great harm to the whole society, Inaocha said.
“We need to think over the fate of the FSWs. They are also human beings. It will be impossible to create an inclusive society by casting the FSWs out”, she asserted.
Meanwhile, one Langlen (not real name) who used to be an FSW earlier said that her struggle to come out of the flesh trade was not an easy one.
“If the society stops looking down upon FSWs, many of them will find the courage to give up their shameful profession”, Langlen said.
“There were several instances when I decided to leave the flesh trade but I got stuck in the profession because of how the society looked upon us”, she said.
As long as the society sees FSWs as immoral and characterless and treats them with contempt, the number of FSWs will only grow.
It’s time for all sections of society to think about the future of FSWs. If the Government takes the lead, others will certainly follow suit, Langlen added.