While opinions have always been divided on whether the profession be legalised to care of related problems the evil brings in its wake, the seminar organised by the Centre for Social Studies came up with a logical interpretation; licences, when issued to adult CSWs after due scrutiny, will help identify and segregate children in the trade.

Licenses could be issued after determining the exact age of CSWs by conducting medical tests to negate any chances of entry of workers. Though participants were skeptical of the efficacy of the idea they thought it was the only way out for what is available now are only estimates about the extent of spread of the social menace.

Incidentally, issue of licenses was one of the demands when CSWs had taken to the streets in 1988 when they foiled an attempt to shift them from the area after a 40-day agitation.

The seminar was beset with doubts posed by lack of information on the issue, and the participants were unanimous in asking for a solid data base. The only way to have it is by conducting a systematic study.

The CSS in its report to be submitted shortly to UNICEF, which sponsored the seminar, will propose to carry out a study in Surat's red light area. Experts and women investigators could be engaged for better results.

The seminar suggested to have a separate school for child sex workers for their rehabilitation as the limited facilities at Observation Home and Nari Saurakshan Gruh are already stretched. A school offering night care for children of adult CSWs was another suggestion to minimise the problem. This is possible only if NGOs come forward.

Participants stressed for sensitization process of all; from police to bureaucrats and from citizens to media, and the society in general. Family counselling in cases, where parents are responsible, either due to poverty or for some other reason, for pushing their children into flesh trade.

There was a suggestion to look at the problem from all angles to prevent the existing children from continuing with the trade and to keep away potential ones. One of the ways of ensuring that was sex education; both in schools and through parents.

It was found that poverty was not the only reason why children found themselves in the trade; exposure to obscenities through media and unhealthy environment, especially in slums where children are exposed to sex due to lack of privacy for adults are among the reasons.

Dr I S Gilada of Indian Health Organisation, a Mumbai-based NGO, suggested starting a newsletter on the lines of `Sakhi Saheli', a bilingual quarterly brought out by it. Most of the material is contributed by CSWs themselves. The magazine voices their concerns, hopes, fears and aspirations through case studies, news, views, songs, jokes, slogans and programmes.