NCJ Number
90688
Date Published
1981
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This paper classifies prostitutes in India as 'victims' or 'offenders,' depending on the circumstances and motivations that have prompted their becoming prostitutes, and suggestions are offered for dealing with these different categories of prostitutes.
Abstract
The prostitute who can be classified as a 'victim' of circumstances is from a lower socioeconomic stratum and has been oppressed by social customs and constraints. On the other hand, the 'offender' prostitute enters the occupation by choice, having other alternative lifestyles available. The 'offender' prostitute is invariably from the middle or upper-middle class who desires to break free of social and economic restraints, often as a protest. In a sense, the 'offender' prostitute is also a 'victim' in that she has been influenced by a reference group obsessed with affluence. The preoccupation with luxurious living encourages the use of any means to obtain wealth. The woman conditioned by such values who cannot obtain riches by socially approved means is vulnerable to the financial appeal of 'high-class' prostitution. The customers of prostitutes can also be categorized by class origins. Those who patronize 'red light' districts in most towns and cities are men with low incomes who live alone, while the patrons of middle-class prostitutes are usually from affluent classes who have influential positions in private companies and public corporations. While it is possible to reform and rehabilitate the 'victim' prostitute by helping create opportunities for other lifestyles, it is difficult to persuade the 'offender' prostitute to abandon the lucrative lifestyle for a relatively low paying job. Further, the institution of prostitution will always find new recruits under the aggressive practices of the intermediaries who make the client contacts for the prostitutes. This analysis suggests the use of differing approaches to deal with the various categories of prostitutes and their clients.