Prostitution and Call Girls in India

Prostitution, also known as sex work or call girl, is a largely illegal business in India. However, a growing number of girls have opted for this profession to earn money and support themselves or their families. Some even choose it out of pure pleasure. Previously known as devadasi or tawaif, the profession has been around for thousands of years in India and is one of the world’s oldest professions.

In modern times, Indian cities like New Delhi and Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, all other top 40 Cities of India have a large number of brothels and call centres that operate illegally in basements of buildings. The clients and the call girls meet in private to exchange sexual favors for a fee. They do not advertise their services and are not allowed to make their phone numbers public. If they do so, they could be imprisoned for up to six months and have to pay financial penalties. Clients are also prohibited from contacting prostitutes within 200 yards of a public place.

A girl’s decision to become a call girl can be driven by her family’s situation, financial constraints or the encouragement of her friends. She may be the victim of physical or emotional abuse or she may have been kidnapped and sold into the industry by a pimp or her Mashis. The girls are often forced to live in secluded and cramped conditions with little or no privacy.

The secluded and sheltered nature of their lives makes it difficult to break out of the profession. Some sex workers are victims of sexual abuse and others choose it as a way to escape from poverty and hardship. Many of the women are from rural areas and are from tribes where prostitution is a tradition, and the eldest daughters must take up the profession to help the family.

High-priced escorts in India serve a rich clientele of nouveau riche Indians and foreign businessmen. Some of them are educated and sophisticated, but they find themselves affluent enough to choose this career over more conventional ones. The escort business is becoming increasingly lucrative and more educated young girls are opting for it.

Zeba, 23, is one of them. Her American-accented English shows that she has been taught well. Her job is lucrative, she rubs shoulders with the wealthy and her working hours are convenient. She is one of thousands of high-priced escorts who provide sexual services to India’s nouveau riche and the throngs of foreign businessmen drawn to a booming economy. However, she is not without her detractors. The anti-corruption body lokayukta recently made a shocking discovery: Lokayukta officials were receiving bribes from these high-priced sex workers. This is just a small glimpse into the murky world of India’s escort business.