Now, No sex in Pune’s redlight area after 11 pm

NP NEWS 24 ONLINE: PUNE:     Gone are the days when Pune’s redlight area in Budhwar Peth would remain crowded with patrons visiting the commercial sex workers (CSW) there. As per new diktat of Pune city police, if a man is found interacting with CSW in the area after 11 pm, she issued a challan for soliciting customers and she has to pay Rs 500 in the court.

The CSWs and NGOs members active there said that almost half of the business used to be after midnight, but police have virtually imposed ‘curfew’ in the area after 11 pm since the last two months. Police maintain that it is being done as part of the reforms and that the exercise has brought down the crime rate in the area.

The initiative is taken by DCP (Zone 1) Suhas Bawche. The area comes under jurisdiction of the Faraskhana police station.

According to police, they have maintained a database of about 2000 CSWs and have issued identity cards to them. This has also resulted in surveillance so that no minor girl is forced into prostitution there. About 70 % women are between 18 to 30 years of age. Earlier there were about 10 % girls in 10 to 18 years age group and now their number is ZERO. The number of CSWs in the area is estimated to be about 5,000.

The Police survey also states that about CSWs are in the age range of 18 to 30 years. Some 35 % CSWs worked voluntarily while 30 percent were forced into the sex trade. There are also about 20 percent of them who work as part time.