Sex in the cities 2

30 May 2012 06:30 pm

By Jeevan Thiagarajah
This is the concluding part to issues raised last week. A  case highlighted was of a 17 year old girl found raped, sold initially to work overseas with the hope of a better life, changed to one of being married to a foreigner also for the same reason, ultimately found used as a sex slave, in a thriving trade where virgins are also sought. Women  migrating for overseas employment are offered if not given an  injection to prevent pregnancies signifying the hazards they face.

In what is termed a happening night club on Duplication Road within a smoke filled environment daily  men grope women, rub against women, well turned out dancing girls seek to dance with different men at the same venue on different days, and older women come to find younger men.
Do we see dignity becoming debased? At a five star hotel , rooms are at times taken by teenagers  before heading to the night club alongside.

Over time the moral values of society may change, but a basic level of public morality will always be agreed upon. The morality of the general public refers to the values, conduct, personal and religious beliefs and accepted social behaviors that are commonly approved of and followed by most members of society. Parents supervising an annual graduation dance at a well known school were strict about the type of dancing permitted and interventions considered taboo. Would the very same parents use similar codes when in clubs themselves?



Our cities are not very different from those in China or even Singapore when it comes to sex workers. It’s taken as given that some need extra cash and work for it. Moral posturing hence may seem untenable. What lines do we draw? Why? Will protection stand in the way of consensual choice?

If sex in public is upsetting and against the law, is groping women in public places even a club not against the law? When licences are given to run nightclubs, Karoke bars or casinos what does it actually regulate? If people misbehave in public particularly in places such as clubs, do onlookers have a right to see public morality protected? We see bouncers employed in most clubs. Would it be to only prevent fights? Can one actually ask for club operators to enforce a code of behaviour by patrons? Many fee paying patrons expect an environment  unrelated to much of what is seen now.

At a party for those turning fifty, many were found dancing and rocking it away for hours purely because they were high on happiness. It did not require drugs nor did it involve displays of behaviour which caused injury to public morality. It is a comment to underscore the fact that one can enjoy to the limit without resort to vulgarity.
Women and families from rural areas seeking advice on facilities for accommodation, transportation, wage scales, health care and legal remedies should be assisted. Maintaining a hotline, help desks and befriending and legal aid services are necessary interventions. Health care should be extended to those whose reproductive systems need care and attention if victims. Information sharing widely and co-ordination is vital, leading to mechanisms which help to overcome psychological stigmas, stress and provides protective mechanisms. No punishment should be too high for those who traffic human beings. A hotel Manager took the initiative to call the Police, saving the poor girl from being sold in Hikkaduwa. Similar acts which protect the patrons of clubs is also possible.