JustineLaguerre: cleanup page for consistency and corrected details after review

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imported>John B123: Undid revision 1003686355 by 103.83.130.85 (talk)

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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2020}}

[[Mumbai]] (also known as Bombay), is a city in [[India]] which contains the neighborhood of [[Kamathipura]], one of the largest [[red-light district]]s in Asia. India is regarded as having one of the largest commercial [[sex industry|sex trades]] globally.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Dalla|first=Rochelle L.|last2=Kreimer|first2=Lee M.|date=13 October 2016|title="After Your Honor is Gone…": Exploration of Developmental Trajectories and Life Experiences of Women Working in Mumbai's Red-Light Brothel Districts|journal=Sexuality & Culture|volume=21|issue=1|pages=163–186|doi=10.1007/s12119-016-9388-4|issn=1095-5143|url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/famconfacpub/182}}</ref> Kamathipura is only one of many red-light district neighborhoods in Mumbai. These neighborhoods are so large and popular that Mumbai has been called the "ultimate destination" for [[sex tourism]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Karandikar|first=Sharvari|last2=Gezinski|first2=Lindsay B.|last3=Meshelemiah|first3=Jacquelyn C.A.|date=July 2013|title=A qualitative examination of women involved in prostitution in Mumbai, India: The role of family and acquaintances|journal=International Social Work|language=en|volume=56|issue=4|pages=496–515|doi=10.1177/0020872811425804|issn=0020-8728}}</ref> The red-light districts or ''lal bazaars''<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Street Corner Secrets|last=Shah|first=Svati|publisher=Duke University Press|year=2014|isbn=978-0-8223-5689-9|location=Durham, NC}}</ref> in Mumbai are inhabited by thousands of [[sex worker]]s including women, men, children, and transgender people. The sex workers of Mumbai are typically victims of [[sex trafficking]], made vulnerable as a result of poverty, and lack of access to resources and opportunities. Sex workers in Mumbai face many difficulties in their lives.

== History of Mumbai ==
Mumbai is the capital city of the state of [[Maharashtra]] and is one of the largest cities in India with an estimated population of over 18 million people. India is considered to be the global epicenter of sex work<ref name=":1" /> and has the largest commercial sex trade in the world.<ref name=":0" /> Mumbai is the largest city in the state of Maharashtra and is often referred to as the ultimate sex tourist destination.<ref name=":1" /> India is a country made up of people that celebrate and practice a variety of cultural and religious traditions, and the people that make up India come from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Although India is not unique in gender-discrimination based violence it is a country that on one hand controls the sexuality of women yet is also home to one the largest flourishing commercial sex trades.<ref name=":0" />

One of the red light districts in Mumbai emerged from [[British Raj|British colonial rule]] in the middle of the nineteenth century. It was created out of a fear of British soldiers engaging in homosexual relations with other soldiers.<ref name=":5" /> The British also saw an additional reason for needing prostitution, especially amongst the military. It was seen as necessary to stave off boredom among soldiers and to reinforce imperial dominance through sexual control of Indian women.<ref name="tambe2005">{{cite journal|last=Tambe|first=Ashwini|title=The Elusive Ingenue:A transnational Feminist Analysis of European Prostitution in Colonial Bombay|journal=Gender and Society|date=19 February 2005|pages=160–79|doi=10.1177/0891243204272781}}</ref> In creating a zone for British soldiers to engage in "safe heterosexual relations" British colonial administration held the power to separate the [[brothel]] area from the "respectable" residential areas which granted them power and control over the lives of the sex workers.<ref name=":5" />

Research into sex work in Mumbai originally drew attention to the [[HIV/AIDS]] patterns discovered there. Researchers have subsequently studied the state of sex work in Mumbai by interviewing and collecting the narratives of those involved in and affected by sex work.

== Terminology ==
Svati P. Shah, an anthropologist who studies gender and women in South Asia, says that the use of the term ''[[prostitution]]'' is a matter of context and argues against its use as a universal term that combines all forms of [[transactional sex]] into a singular conceptual framework.<ref name=":2" /> While those involved in current and past research concerning this issue typically employ the term ''sex work'', others argue that ''prostitution'' refers more to [[human trafficking]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Haak |first1=Debra M. |title=Who are we talking about when we talk about prostitution and sex work? |url=http://theconversation.com/who-are-we-talking-about-when-we-talk-about-prostitution-and-sex-work-88123 |website=The Conversation |access-date=3 March 2020 |language=en |date=14 January 2018}}</ref> Some supporters of the abolition of prostitution reject the use of the term ''sex worker'' as they argue that it legitimises prostitution.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bindel |first1=Julie |title=Why prostitution should never be legalised {{!}} Julie Bindel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/11/prostitution-legalised-sex-trade-pimps-women |website=The Guardian |access-date=3 March 2020 |date=11 October 2017}}</ref> According to the anthropologist Susanne Asman there were vague terms used in Ichigyang to refer to women engaging in sex work; they were often described as "Bombay going" or "women doing that work".<ref name=":5" />

The terminology used to describe sex work in Mumbai depends on context.<ref name=":2" />

== State of sex work in Mumbai ==
Mumbai contains the largest red light district in Asia, in the neighborhood of Kamathipura. Kamathipura is estimated to have over five thousand sex workers, who are identified as male, female, and transgender.<ref name=":1" /> Of the estimated five thousand sex workers located in Kamathipura the majority are assumed to be victims of sex trafficking.<ref name=":1" /> However it is difficult to determine the exact number of those involved in trafficking in the red light districts of Mumbai due to the criminal nature of the issue and the scale of it.<ref name=":1" /> The victims are typically young girls, and are usually trafficked from the surrounding areas, but they are sometimes trafficked from neighboring countries<ref name=":1" /> such as [[Nepal]] and [[Bangladesh]].<ref name=":1" /> [[Hijra (South Asia)|''Hijaras'']] can also be found working in the red light districts of Mumbai. It has been argued that ''hijaras'' are more likely to participate in high risk sex acts with [[Client (prostitution)|clients]] because it is believed they cannot contract or spread disease or illness.<ref name=":3" /> Sex workers in Mumbai at brothels and other commercial sex sites are visited by both men from the local area and those traveling to the area in search of employment.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last=Jerajani|first=Hemangi|last2=Shinde|first2=Santosh|last3=Setia|first3=ManinderSingh|last4=Row-Kavi|first4=Ashok|last5=Anand|first5=Vivek|date=2009|title=Male sex workers: Are we ignoring a risk group in Mumbai, India?|journal=Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology|volume=75|issue=1|pages=41–6|doi=10.4103/0378-6323.45219|pmid=19172030|issn=0378-6323|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Currently there are a large amount of vague restrictions regarding the act of participating in sex work.<ref name=":5" />

== Sex workers in Mumbai ==
Many studies have indicated that sex workers in Mumbai enter into the sex industry for a range of reasons. Many of the interviews and studies that have been conducted demonstrate that when people enter or are forced into the industry it is usually as a result of some kind of crisis. Researchers have used interviews to study how and why women participate in sex work. Through these interviews it has been concluded that female sex workers typically end up in sex work for a variety of reasons ranging from but not limited to marital abuse, death of their husband, poverty, or death of a parent. Researchers have identified these scenarios as some of the most common.<ref name=":1" /> Ashwini Tambe, professor and scholar in gender and women studies, argues that in Mumbai the realm of sex work and the role of family are not separate.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tambe|first=Ashwini|date=June 2006|title=Brothels as families: Reflections on the history of Bombay's1kothas|journal=International Feminist Journal of Politics|volume=8|issue=2|pages=219–242|doi=10.1080/14616740600612855|issn=1461-6742}}</ref> In studying the role of sex workers in Mumbai, it was also found that many women are sold into sex work by friends, acquaintances, or family members.<ref name=":1" /> Increased economic hardship can result in women such as housewives and daily laborers using sex work as a method of securing additional income to support themselves and/or their families.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Bandewar|first=Sunita V S|last2=Bharat|first2=Shalini|last3=Kongelf|first3=Anine|last4=Pisal|first4=Hemlata|last5=Collumbien|first5=Martine|date=December 2015|title=Considering risk contexts in explaining the paradoxical HIV increase among female sex workers in Mumbai and Thane, India|journal=BMC Public Health|volume=16|issue=1|pages=85|doi=10.1186/s12889-016-2737-2|pmid=26822805|pmc=4730760|issn=1471-2458}}</ref>

According to [[Robert I. Friedman|Robert Friedman]], an American investigative journalist, human rights organizations say that over 90% of female sex workers in Mumbai are considered indentured servants.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Friedman|first=Robert I.|date=June 1998|title=India's shame: Sexual slavery and political corruption are leading to an AIDS catastrophe|journal=Trends in Organized Crime|volume=3|issue=4|pages=60–62|doi=10.1007/s12117-998-1059-x|issn=1084-4791}}</ref>

Traditionally research has usually concerned itself with the situation of female and child sex workers in Mumbai, ignoring the increasing proportion of male and transgender sex workers.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Shah|first=Svati P.|date=November 2006|title=Producing The Spectacle of Kamathipura|journal=Cultural Dynamics|volume=18|issue=3|pages=269–292|doi=10.1177/0921374006071615|issn=0921-3740}}</ref> Including [[Male prostitution|male sex workers]] in discussions about the state of sex work in Mumbai is necessary, as male sex workers are considered a high-risk group for HIV infection.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Srivastava|first=Ankur|last2=Goldbach|first2=Jeremy T.|date=28 January 2019|title=Pathways to Male Transactional Sex in Mumbai, India|journal=Journal of Homosexuality|language=en|volume=66|issue=2|pages=173–188|doi=10.1080/00918369.2017.1398018|pmid=29077538|issn=0091-8369}}</ref> As research has developed concerning the role of male sex workers in Mumbai it has been demonstrated through interviews that although these men's responses vary with their sexual identities, their soliciting practices, sex roles and clientele, they nevertheless indicate that they entered into sex work as a result of their poor economic status.<ref name=":1" />

As efforts have increased to enforce anti-human trafficking and HIV/AIDS prevention, brothels have become the main target of these preventive measures. This has increased the diversification of sex work occurring in Mumbai as clients have become more likely to seek services outside of brothels because they believe they are less likely to contract HIV/AIDS.<ref name=":6" />

=== Conditions of sex workers in Mumbai ===
Social workers have been given the responsibility of addressing the issues associated with sex trafficking in Mumbai, and the large amount of young girls trafficked.<ref name=":1" /> As the industry continues to expand the demand for young girls has begun to rise. The brothels in the red light districts of Mumbai are patrolled by ''[[goonda]]s'', thugs who work for or are part of the mafia, to ensure that enslaved sex workers do not escape or run away.<ref name=":3" /> Police raids are said to target mostly girls from outside India and also underage girls, who are often kept out of view by brothel owners.<ref name=":6" />

Many of the young women who are sex workers in Mumbai work under madams or have [[pimp]]s <ref name=":3" />

The madams of female sex workers usually receive payment upfront for the female sex worker performing the sex act. From their wages the female sex workers typically have to pay for electricity, food, rent, interest, and bribes paid to local police.<ref name=":3" />

In recent years Mumbai has reported a dwindling number of brothels as a result of gentrification, heightened anti-trafficking efforts and police enforcement raids. This has resulted in the dispersal of sex workers, increasing their vulnerability.<ref name=":6" /> While efforts to encourage women sex workers to use [[condoms]] have been emphasized, their users often face stigmatization.<ref name=":6" /> Young girls who have been trafficked into sex work often have no autonomy and no choice as to whether or not they use condoms when engaging in sex work.<ref name=":6" /> Condoms are also not used when a girl is presented and sold to a client as a virgin – a practice known as ''sar dhaki'' – demonstrating that despite targeted efforts to ensure safer working conditions this remain an issue.<ref name=":6" />

=== HIV and AIDS patterns in Mumbai ===
Following the first case of HIV/AIDS identified in Mumbai, efforts to prevent the disease were undertaken. With the implementation of these efforts advocates recognized they had to understand the functioning of the sex industry.<ref name=":7" /> As efforts to engage with sex workers for HIV/AIDS prevention increased, many of these concentrated solely on female sex workers, neglecting male and transgender sex workers.<ref name=":7" /> From 2006 to 2009, Mumbai experienced an intensive HIV prevention campaign and there was increased use of safer sex in brothels and among street-based sex workers.<ref name=":6" /> Programs intended to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS range from but are not limited to efforts that include peer based education, condom distribution, increased screening and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and diseases.<ref name=":6" /> Between the years 2006 and 2009 the rates of women with HIV in Maharashtra went from 26% to 27.5%, with a large proportion of these infection rates coming from Mumbai.<ref name=":6" /> According to Human Rights Watch more than half of the population of sex workers in Mumbai have contracted HIV.<ref name=":3" /> It is a characteristic of some Arab and Indian men to bid for and purchase virgin sex workers from Mumbai as it is believed that sex with a virgin can cure [[gonorrhea]] and [[syphilis]].<ref name=":3" /> Some female sex workers develop a relationship with their clients, considering them a lover or a partner. In this case they often will not use a condom with the partner, even if they are HIV positive.<ref name=":6" />

== Research ==
Svati P. Shah, the author of ''Street Corner Secrets'' and other works about research into the conditions of red light districts in Mumbai, has been working to broaden the discussion about the conditions there. Shah warns those interested in doing research work in Mumbai against sensationalizing the conditions of sex work and the patterns of HIV and AIDS.<ref name=":4" /> The anthropologist Susanne Asman has studied the lives of women sex workers who have returned to Nepal after working and living in Mumbai for some years.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|title=Bombay going : Nepali migrant sex workers in an anti-trafficking era|last=Åsman |first=Susanne|isbn=978-1-4985-5855-6|oclc=1052566705|date = 15 September 2018}}</ref> Over the course of ten years Susanne Asman collected information and conducted fieldwork concerning stories, lives and behaviour patterns of women sex workers returning to their home villages from Mumbai.<ref name=":5" /> As research has developed and more nuanced studies have been released many researchers still place much emphasis on the practices and politics of sex work.<ref name=":5" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Prostitution in India|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Prostitution in India]]
[[Category:Mumbai]]
[[Category:Red-light districts in India]]

Prostitution in Mumbai - Revision history

JustineLaguerre: cleanup page for consistency and corrected details after review

imported>John B123: Undid revision 1003686355 by 103.83.130.85 (talk)