<strong>Sex work is a profession: SC</strong>

New Delhi, May 26: In a significant order, the Supreme Court on Thursday recognised sex work as a profession. It told the police that they should neither interfere nor take criminal action against consenting sex workers.  A three-judge bench led by Justice L. Nageswara Rao issued six directions for safeguarding the rights of sex workers. At the same time, the Supreme Court’s order read, if a minor is found in a brothel home, it should not be considered as a girl trafficking.  According to the order, the practitioners are entitled to dignity and equal protection under the law. The Supreme Court has directed that police should neither interfere nor take criminal action against adult and consenting sex workers.  “It need not be gainsaid that notwithstanding the profession, every individual in this country has a right to a dignified life under Article 21 of the Constitution,” the court observed. “Sex workers are entitled to equal protection of the law. Criminal law must apply equally in all cases, on the basis of ‘age’ and ‘consent’. When it is clear that the sex worker is an adult and is participating with consent, the police must refrain from interfering or taking any criminal action,”. The Bench ordered that sex workers should not be “arrested or penalised or harassed or victimised” whenever there is a raid on any brothel, “since voluntary sex work is not illegal and only running the brothel is unlawful”. A child of a sex worker should not be separated from the mother merely on the ground that she is in the sex trade, the court held. “Basic protection of human decency and dignity extends to sex workers and their children,” the court noted.  “In case the sex worker claims that he/she is her son/daughter, tests can be done to determine if the claim is correct and if so, the minor should not be forcibly separated,” the court ordered. Thus, the sex workers should not be ill treated, rather they should be dealt with dignity, read the order.