“Prostitution”- A Case for Legalisation in India

Prostitution which is nothing but sex trade is a common phenomenon in India though we the members of
civilised society don’t hesitate to deny the legal existence of this trade; in fact most of us are not ready to give it
a legal status. Though in various cases the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has expressed the view that this
profession should be legalised in India. Today our country’s biggest concern is enormous increase in the
number of incidents of rape and legalising prostitution would be one step forward towards combating rape.
Apart from this legalising prostitution would also be helpful in reducing the number of cases of child
trafficking. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 states that “All men are born free and are
equally entitled to have their basic human rights.” Denying legal recognition to this profession means denying
the basic human rights of the prostitutes. Giving legal recognition to prostitution would enable the prostitutes
to make some contribution towards the development of the nation as they would have legal protection; their
children can get education and would be entitled to participate in the main stream of the society. Recognising
prostitution as a profession will at least reduce the real illegalities that come with it like child prostitution,
drug trafficking and other crimes.