The NGOs are also demanding an amendment in the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA).
“Section 8 of the ITPA makes soliciting at a public place a punishable offence. But prostitutes are forced to do so by the pimps. As a result, the women are arrested by the police and punished for a crime that they never committed,” said Ruchira Gupta, Executive Director, Apne Aap Women Worldwide, a group working for distressed women.
“In the next session of the Parliament, we will request the authorities concerned to delete this provision,” Gupta added.
She was speaking at a seminar at the Rotary Sadan during a seminar on ‘Prevention of Trafficking in Women and Children’ on Saturday.
“We also want that Section 5 of the Act should be strictly enforced. The section provides for the arrest and punishment of pimps. Section 5 of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act is hardly used whereas Section 8 is implemented in every state,” added Gupta.