Protection of persons in prostitution-related cases: Call to implement Supreme Court directives
Human Rights Forum, welcomes the judgement and the directions it has issued with respect to protection of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation and their right to rehabilitation. We also welcome the much needed distinction established by the Hon’ble Supreme Court under Article 32 and 142 between sex trafficking and prostitution, including recognising voluntary adult sex work.
The judgment is significant because it places the human rights, dignity, autonomy and constitutional protections of affected persons at the centre of all state action. The Court has recognised that persons involved in prostitution-related situations often belong to highly marginalised and stigmatised sections of society and are vulnerable not only to exploitation but also to abuse and discrimination by state agencies themselves.
