Just what is it about sex that brings out a society's deepest anxieties? Prudery and squeamishness, working in tandem with religious injunctions and restrictive laws, have managed to distort, constrict and control one of the most pleasurable expressions of human intimacy. Homosexuality and sex outside of marriage have always been particular targets of control and condemnation, but it is sex work, the so-called 'oldest profession', that has evoked the most ire down through the ages. 'Loose' and 'immoral' women, often referred to by derogatory terms such as whore and harlot, were seen to threaten the hallowed institution of marriage, and as carriers of venereal disease infecting 'good' citizens.
The discovery of penicillin's antibiotic properties in the mid-20th century did lead to a calming of some of this hysteria, particularly in relation to its public-health implications. Improved management of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies served to reduce the 'damage' purportedly caused by sex workers and 'protect' society at large. Today, most of the legislative and administrative frameworks in Southasia governing prostitution are an outcome of this protectionist mindset, which continued well into the 20th century. But just as more enlightened jurisprudence and notions of human rights were seeping into public consciousness and policy, along came a virus called HIV. 'Deviant' populations such as homosexuals and prostitutes were suddenly made to take the blame for the spread of the virus.
The last quarter of the 20th century has witnessed an unprecedented focus on sex and sexuality. Still, at a time when women's rights were being articulated with increasing vigour, sex workers remained noticeably absent from advocacy on both human rights in general and women's rights in particular. Indeed, there has throughout been a dissonance between sex workers and an influential stream of feminists who are anti-prostitution. As a result, policymakers, donor agencies and NGOs, fuelled by and fearful of those who readily express moral outrage and righteous anger, have been busy banning, policing, 'rescuing' and 'rehabilitating' sex workers.
Little has changed in the 21st century at the level of opinion- and decision-makers, but sex workers themselves have begun organising. They have spoken out and acted against minors being forced to do sex work, and collectively combated trafficking of both adults and minors. They have demanded that policymakers respect their rights. They seek more meaningful livelihood options and 'rehabilitation' packages, as well as amendments to laws that criminalise sex work. Meanwhile, the notion that prostitution is a patriarchal system in which women are exploited by men is being challenged by transgender and male sex workers who are likewise speaking out.