Rape and other forms of sexual exploitation have become
expected tools of warfare. For centuries, rape continues to symbolize the
ultimate destruction of society by its impact on the family unit. Unfortunately,
this ritualistic act almost goes unquestioned as an expected byproduct of war. For
many of us, we pause to reflect on the crimes committed, but can easily put it
aside in our minds if associated with an active conflict zone. Only within the
past two decades, an increasing amount of attention has been paid by peace-keeping
operations to provide services to individuals that are victimized. This also
raises concerns since many peace-keepers have also sexually assaulted women
during peace-keeping (Bastick, et al., 2007). However, for many, such as those
affected by the conflict in Kashmir, sexual exploitation does not end with a
simple truce or an interim in fighting. Rather, the conditions created by
conflicts propel and exacerbate circumstances that make sex work one of the few
options for income, especially among adolescent youth.
According to an article written
by Aliya Bashir for the Women News Network titled Sex Workers: Victims or Victimless Members of India’s Society?, Justice
Bashir Ahmad Kirmani, a retired judge from the Jammu Kashmir High Court
reported that more than 25,000 Kashmiri girls are working as prostitutes in
Srinagar, a major city of Kashmir. This represents a conservative estimate
since sex workers opt not to identify or report themselves. Some girls,
including minors, are black mailed and coerced into joining the sex trade as
demonstrated by the major sex scandal uncovered in 2006. For others, sex work
may be their only option. The driving factor behind the decision to work as a
sex worker remains primarily economic. The ongoing violence in Kashmir has
brought displacement, poverty, exclusion, and a lack of opportunity for women
in the area. Many girls were forced to become child soldiers or concubines for
military forces in the 1990s. These girls have grown up, and as women, struggle
to find better financial opportunities for themselves. Due to the conflict,
many of these women are the only heads of households, placing pressures on
children to help their mothers financially (Bashir, 2012). It also creates
opportunities for human traffickers to lure children seeking to help their
mothers into the business with false promises of money.
There has been little research to
document the experiences and the number of single women forced into the sex
trade as a means of survival after losing male family members to the ongoing
conflict. However, investigative journalistic pieces can shed light on the
issue through personal narratives. For example, Bashir discusses the story of
Heena, an 18 year old Kashmiri girl that turned to sex work to pay for her
mother’s cancer treatments. At the time, a pimp provided her with the money she
needed in exchange for being a call girl. Seven years later, Heena is still
involved in the sex trade, unable to escape, yet keeps her profession hidden
from her mother due to cultural stigma. Another
example is Shaista Begum, a 35 year old woman who started selling sex as a
means to buy food for her family. Begum admits that she would never have
thought that she would work in the sex trade, but because she is illiterate,
job opportunities were scarce (Nizami, 2012).
The stories of Begum and Heena are
only two voices from among thousands in similar situations. More attention
needs to be paid to the push factors involved in increasing women’s
participation in sex work as a means for survival, especially in conflict zones
where exclusion, poverty, and loss of male family members makes women more
vulnerable to pull factors such as pimps and traffickers, and the opportunity
to make money.
Sources:
Bashir, Aliya (2012). Sex Workers: Victims or Victimless
Members of India’s Society? Women
News Network. http://womennewsnetwork.net/2012/07/03/kashmir-india-sex-workers-victims-victimless/2/
Bastick, M., Grimm, K.,
& Kunz, R. (2007). Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict. Geneva: Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces.
Nizami, Salman (2012). Kashmiri Women and the Sex Trade. Daily Times.
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