‘Treated Like Criminals’: Adult Sex Workers Not Allowed to Leave Protective Homes in Most States, Amicus Curiae Tells Supreme Court

Adult sex workers are being treated like criminals in most states and not being allowed to leave the protective homes under the Immoral Traffic Act despite the Supreme Court’s directions to the contrary, amicus curiae and senior advocate Jayant Bhushan told the top court on Thursday. While dismissing a criminal appeal filed by the accused against the Calcutta High Court’s decision to uphold his murder conviction and life sentence, a bench headed by retired judge Markandey Katju passed a suo motu order directing central and state governments to prepare rehabilitation schemes for sex workers, under which they would be given technical or vocational training, enabling them to leave sex work. Hence, we direct the central and state governments to prepare schemes for giving technical or vocational training to sex workers and sexually abused women in all cities in India.” States and UTs directed to issue ration cards and voter ID cards to sex workers In July 2011, the top court constituted a committee headed by senior advocates Pradip Ghosh and Jayant Bhushan to advise on issues relating to the prevention of trafficking, rehabilitation of sex workers wanting to quit sex work, and the conditions conducive for sex workers to live with dignity in accordance with Article 21. Directing the appropriate governments to commence the process of issuance of ration cards and voter identification cards immediately on the basis of the NACO list, a bench headed by L Nageswara Rao held: “As this court has directed the state governments and the union territories to issue ration cards and identity cards to sex workers almost a decade back, there is no reason as to why such direction has not been implemented till now.