canadian
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
Forced Into Brothels
By Sana Saleem
Hailing from a society that snubs its most important social issues I feel victimized by ignorance. These are the exploitations in the name of shelved morals that have no patience for addressing taboos.
I feel taboos are like hangovers, the creations of diseased minds,of people who do not have the courage to live and who impose these things upon us in the guise of morality and religion.The instinctive network of taboos prevents us from addressing our most crucial societal issues.Forced Prostitution is one of them.
In a society such as ours these taboos deafen the majority towards the plea of our most horrendous victims-the women who have
Photo Courtesy: Jamal Ashiqain
been forced, for decades,into an industry that shackles its victims for life.Once hurled into the flesh trade these women are like invisible entities bereft of basic humanitarian rights.
A society hampered with rigid taboos leaves no room for consideration, no rehab is offered to the slaves of the flesh market. These women are not only considered despicable but unacceptable to society for life. In the given scenario how fair is to accuse a woman of not being able to give up prostitution? While the society will malign her forever, she has no means to return. These women then become a cult, the kind that is used by all but remain odious. Ruthless customs conveniently overlook the circumstances in which women are pushed in to the forbidden world.
According to a report titled S. Asia urged to unite against child prostitution, India and Pakistan are the main destinations for children under 16 who are trafficked in south Asia (Reuters, 19 June 1998, Masako Iijima).As of 1991 women kidnapped at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border were being sold in the marketplace for Rs.600 per kilogram, Orphaned girls are sold as wives to men who may resell them (CATW Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific).
Just this year a BBC report by Mona Rana discusses typical reasons that make women end up in Prostitution. According to the report growing unemployment and inflation and the resulting rise in poverty have led many towards the flesh market. A report on The Independent ,in early 2000,reported on the alarming number of Asian women brought to the UK for mujra clubs and being lured into prostitution. Another alarming report by The Salvation army stated that Asian women are sold to North American brothels for $16,000 each.
Photo Courtesy: Jamal Ashiqain
These figures dont reflect women who willingly opt for prostitution; instead they are forced, raped or kidnapped. Yet the society blatantly refuses to see them as victims of barbarity.Islam denounces prostitution; on the other hand it encourages equal and even distribution of wealth. However these attributes are hushed off the shelf to host artefacts of morals, ones which are blind to the misery of victims but alarmingly cautious on anything they consider unethical. Their sanctimonious attitudes have no rooms to forgive and rehabilitate. Laughably, while they are so hell-bent on wiping the evils of the society they offer no mercy to the victims and can bear no outlet that could shelter them back to life.
Increasing poverty remains one of the biggest recruiters of the flesh industry. These beggar are plotted on streets at a young age exploiting sympathies for better earning. This eventually becomes their source of income for generations to come. However it doesnt end here the girls that were once forced into the streets as infants are then hurled into brothels. The dark alleys of these brothels become their homes after a long day of begging in the scorching heat. For them there is no escaping the misery. Once hurled in to the notorious world they are deemed loathful.
The hollers of these victims are ferociously silenced by the pietistic ones. After all they would rather have these women suffer for life than accept their existence and offer relief.These are the forbidden victims of our society, their crime not known yet their punishment continues to be the harshest. Religion,morals and ethics are meant to regulate life, to set rules and provide guidance. However in cases such as these religion and morals become mere shields to shun the taboo.In the long term ending up mystifying the truth rather than offering refuge.There will be no better way to combat prostitution than to first acknowledge its existence,the reasons that led to it and than open our doors to those who want their lives back. A line should be drawn between women willingly opting for the field and those who are forced. By shunning the victims of forced prostitution we approving a life full of rape and exploitation for these women for generations to come.
By Sana Saleem
Hailing from a society that snubs its most important social issues I feel victimized by ignorance. These are the exploitations in the name of shelved morals that have no patience for addressing taboos.
I feel taboos are like hangovers, the creations of diseased minds,of people who do not have the courage to live and who impose these things upon us in the guise of morality and religion.The instinctive network of taboos prevents us from addressing our most crucial societal issues.Forced Prostitution is one of them.
In a society such as ours these taboos deafen the majority towards the plea of our most horrendous victims-the women who have
Photo Courtesy: Jamal Ashiqain been forced, for decades,into an industry that shackles its victims for life.Once hurled into the flesh trade these women are like invisible entities bereft of basic humanitarian rights.
A society hampered with rigid taboos leaves no room for consideration, no rehab is offered to the slaves of the flesh market. These women are not only considered despicable but unacceptable to society for life. In the given scenario how fair is to accuse a woman of not being able to give up prostitution? While the society will malign her forever, she has no means to return. These women then become a cult, the kind that is used by all but remain odious. Ruthless customs conveniently overlook the circumstances in which women are pushed in to the forbidden world.
According to a report titled S. Asia urged to unite against child prostitution, India and Pakistan are the main destinations for children under 16 who are trafficked in south Asia (Reuters, 19 June 1998, Masako Iijima).As of 1991 women kidnapped at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border were being sold in the marketplace for Rs.600 per kilogram, Orphaned girls are sold as wives to men who may resell them (CATW Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific).
Just this year a BBC report by Mona Rana discusses typical reasons that make women end up in Prostitution. According to the report growing unemployment and inflation and the resulting rise in poverty have led many towards the flesh market. A report on The Independent ,in early 2000,reported on the alarming number of Asian women brought to the UK for mujra clubs and being lured into prostitution. Another alarming report by The Salvation army stated that Asian women are sold to North American brothels for $16,000 each.
Photo Courtesy: Jamal AshiqainThese figures dont reflect women who willingly opt for prostitution; instead they are forced, raped or kidnapped. Yet the society blatantly refuses to see them as victims of barbarity.Islam denounces prostitution; on the other hand it encourages equal and even distribution of wealth. However these attributes are hushed off the shelf to host artefacts of morals, ones which are blind to the misery of victims but alarmingly cautious on anything they consider unethical. Their sanctimonious attitudes have no rooms to forgive and rehabilitate. Laughably, while they are so hell-bent on wiping the evils of the society they offer no mercy to the victims and can bear no outlet that could shelter them back to life.
Increasing poverty remains one of the biggest recruiters of the flesh industry. These beggar are plotted on streets at a young age exploiting sympathies for better earning. This eventually becomes their source of income for generations to come. However it doesnt end here the girls that were once forced into the streets as infants are then hurled into brothels. The dark alleys of these brothels become their homes after a long day of begging in the scorching heat. For them there is no escaping the misery. Once hurled in to the notorious world they are deemed loathful.
The hollers of these victims are ferociously silenced by the pietistic ones. After all they would rather have these women suffer for life than accept their existence and offer relief.These are the forbidden victims of our society, their crime not known yet their punishment continues to be the harshest. Religion,morals and ethics are meant to regulate life, to set rules and provide guidance. However in cases such as these religion and morals become mere shields to shun the taboo.In the long term ending up mystifying the truth rather than offering refuge.There will be no better way to combat prostitution than to first acknowledge its existence,the reasons that led to it and than open our doors to those who want their lives back. A line should be drawn between women willingly opting for the field and those who are forced. By shunning the victims of forced prostitution we approving a life full of rape and exploitation for these women for generations to come.
Forcing women into brothels is a crime of the most ferocious order, and providing them with an option out even more so. While we say slavery has ended in the modern age, it is not true. Slavery still exists, but now it applies only to women and its name is forceful prostitution.(http://sanasaleem.com/2010/03/07/forced-into-brothels/)
