PROSTITUTION IN INDIAN SOCIETY
Dr. PAYAL CHAMATKAR
Assistant Professor (Social Work)
Department of Sociology
RTM Nagpur University
payalchamatkar@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Prostitution in India has historically existed within a complex social framework shaped by religion, economy, culture, and power relations. Unlike contemporary moralistic or criminal interpretations, ancient Indian traditions recognized courtesans as socially and economically integrated figures, as reflected in classical texts such as the Arthashastra (Rangarajan, 1992, pp. 256–270). Colonial rule, however, imposed Victorian moral norms that redefined prostitution as immoral and deviant—a legacy that continues in present legal regimes, notably the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (Kotiswaran, 2011, pp. 91–115). This paper critically examines prostitution through historical, socio-cultural, and legal lenses, highlighting the divergence between indigenous regulatory systems and contemporary punitive frameworks, and advocates a rights-based, welfare-oriented approach grounded in constitutional values of dignity, equality, and social justice.
Keywords: prostitution, IKS, courtesans, devadasi, ITPA, sex work, colonial morality
DOI link – https://doi.org/10.69758/GIMRJ/2601S01V14P050
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