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LAHORE: The activity once called the hallmark of Red Light Area and confined only to the pitch-black darkness of the night is now engulfing the whole city and that too in broad daylight.
There was a time when a small city part was an icon of prostitution; the rest remained seeped in oblivion as to what went on in the area where lights begin shining after 1:00pm.
The youth, women and children continued living in blessed ignorance, preferring the confines of their house where such matters were hushed up, shown in small decent doses on cinema movies and the occasional TV plays. It was hard to find a majority nurturing secret contacts with them. The subject was too taboo.
But with the change of time, came a change in the mindsets of the general population, spouting the beginning of an Islamic Revolution in the late 70s. Enthusiasts of that specific time-frame thought it better to remove the limited city area housing a limited number of prostitutes and their families, and instead reforming the famous 'Taxali Gate.' Little did they know that it was not the area but the people who needed enlightenment, if not moderation. The mistake on their part may be small, but its ramifications reached far and wide, touching all and sundry, from the children to adults, to men and women both.
The society now suffocates with the menace of prostitution; the distinction between business and normal social life hard to find.
The dawning of the 21 Century saw prostitution taking on different dimensions. The city's most posh areas, moderate localities and certain other residential colonies now are plagued with a crime which was once limited to dark, pungent corners where insects would crawl the skin, becoming a part of it. Not only are the 'Kothis' in various parts of the city being used for the purpose, sophisticated outlets continue to branch out wherein apparently no one raises a finger, but everybody knows the internal workings of a room booked for an hour or two. These are the hair cutting saloons, beauty parlours, hotels and motels, low-grade hospitals and educational institutions, not to mention, the markedly known guest houses and a few working women hostels. Cyprians who may face difficulties in getting required sanctuaries, end up making centres of their own, the abundant film studios, shabby cinema houses, different arts councils and music academies. The growth in electronic media has also opened opportunities for them. As often, one can find an advertisement asking for new faces or conducting auditions for some model shows or TV channels regularly appearing in dailies and magazines.
Poverty is branded the root-cause coercing women to become a part of such adulterous activities. In most cases, the poor widows are forced to come on streets, lacking other qualifications to help earn a livelihood for their children. To them, selling themselves is the easiest way guaranteeing quick money in a market which is extremely stingy on job count.
An average prostitute can generate Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 in a night. A prostitute, (S) narrating her experiences, said after the death of her father, she was left to face tough times. Friends, relatives and sympathisers distanced themselves from her within days. To feed her family, she said she got employment at an air travel agency at Davis Road here where 'my boss spoiled me first.' Since then, she said, 'I am in it.'
Another, Ruby (not a real name) feels no hesitation to talk about her personal business for 'it keeps my stomach full.'
The two are forced-prostitutes. Others are those who inherit the profession and now book a special clientele including industrialists and business tycoons, who keep them safe in 'rented bungalows' along with allocations of a set monthly budget. They are the pampered ones.
Though, this business runs in most parts of the city, a few blocks of Allama Iqbal Town are still notorious. Many women enjoying bad reputes have even set up their own brothels there, backed by certain influential, who continue to turn a blind eye to girls waiting on main city roads to sell their favours. Likewise, Scheme and Sabzazaar is also considered a haven for such people. Its areas bask in significance following construction of dozens of Kothi Khanas, lived in by a good number of film and stage actresses. Recently, an actress Krishma Shah was murdered there. She patronised Shahnoor and Ever-new Studios.
Ishaq colony which also falls in Sabzazaar is yet another area where a line of brothel houses can be chanced upon. Years back, the locality of Samanabad was known for prostitution among others like Pakki Thathi and Samanabad, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Katcha Bund Road and Ravi Road.
In Defence, this business blooms amidst steeled security and protection. As per police sources, drink and dance parties are arranged in big number almost every night. Police claims their helplessness, saying 'we know the bungalows where such happenings occur, but our mouths have been closed shut. They are powerful people.' They however braved enough and labelled Defence Y Block to be the most high-profile sporting house. District-wise, Patoki, Okara and Multan are the areas from where these women come from to Lahore and Islamabad for regular business.
With fast developments in lifestyle, transactions of these people now are modified to mobiles. Bookings, rates and time and place are all settled via wireless, while some have even gone as far ahead as to advertise their wares under the guise of different services. Pen pal magazines and chatting facilities have further contributed to this art.Some working women hostels are also centres of prostitutions along with hostels of educational institutions, lagging behind. In Shadman, a number of hotels and guest-houses are doing a roaring business under the patronage of police. An employee of a guest house in Shadman said a high police officer often comes in to 'rest awhile,' continuing further that most of the hotels' staff keep in contact numbers of girls who can be called on request from guests.
Among others, theatres are places where women likes these are available in abundance, for most of the girls after performances settle in for an extra cash to ease their lives. Customers include the rich from Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Okara and Sialkot, in Lahore for business trips, further sanctifying weekends.
In the midst of all this, commonly known 'Heera Mandi' has unfortunately lost its spark. Here, the girls dance to their own tunes, doing 'mujras.' But the attraction has shifted to other places where women are more up-to-date with fashion and other talks. But the decades-old Silver Street still exists. Prostitutes of above 40 years are seen sitting at their doorsteps to welcome the clients, who are daily wagers. But since the street is marked by a level above poverty, the danger of police raid looms large. These uniformed men might be bribed with Rs 25 to Rs 50 per customer out of their Rs 200 to Rs 500, but it all depends on moods and beauty.
Majority of dancing girls do not even live in Heera Mandi, rather they return to other localities after finishing their jobs, the cause of unending tears of a few pimps who cry, 'Gone are the days when this bazaar was once ablaze.' Raids have destroyed the area. Lives have become miserable for them.
Now, Dubai has become the focal point of prostitution. Hundreds of girls from Pakistan India and Bangladesh fly there for better prospects. With frequent Pakistani arts groups visiting Dubai, their business undoubtedly flourishes.
A 22-year-old (A) from Sialkot told The Post that she was married 'once' but was divorced after two years on suspicions of nursing a dubious character. She said she returned to Lahore and now 'lives in Garhi Shaho in a rented house.' "I joined a beauty parlour which proved to be a brothel house. I was first taken as an amateur, but now fly off to Dubai every month.'
England is another place for prostitutes. The return is pure pounds. These are the women who have hired agents. They arrange the sittings. "My sister and I have our own house in Defence within a short span of two years," a girl said, terming 'prostitution better than dying with hunger.'
Since there continues to be no check on this mushrooming business, gay-houses are now running a parallel business. The routine is a bit different, but the end result is the same.
Asking an extra, (N) who had been performing in more than sixteen Punjabi films in the past, she said she was thrice divorced and now spends her life selling her body at Rs 50 to Rs 100 daily.
Such brothels house two to four girls while the young are favoured more. A call to Madam eases all at Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 for a night.
HIV sets alarm bells ringing
Staff Reporter
Lahore: The most horrifying aspect of the rising sin is the increasing cases of HIV Aids. Doctors at the Lady Wellington Hospital said over three dozen cases of HIV positive have been reported during the last six months. This is to compare with a rare HIV positive case reported in months a few years ago. The situation at the Mayo and Services is not any different. "There is no denying that the biggest factor behind such a high number of AIDS remains the unchecked sexual abuse," doctors said, adding that cases following blood-transfusion 'are few and far between.'
Minors trapped in the trade
Staff Reporter
Lahore: People close to such circles revealed girls under 16 years of age forced into this ugly business for reasons too obvious to ignore.
"First they are allured into dancing, then the gradual move into the trade", a naika, seeking anonymity, said. She noted that in most cases, these were the girls abandoned by families, or had lost parents in accidents and no one left to look after them.
"I don't know why, but somehow such girls are forced to join our camps - never to return to normal life again", she added.
Moodi, a mother, sold her thirteen-year-old daughter on contract for Rs 40,000, a couple of years ago. Now Shomila is a woman and is on her fifth husband in a rented house in a locality situated opposite Shezan Factory, Nawan Kot.
She told The Post that she had no other option after divorce but 'this.' "By doing so, I saved the rest of my children from total starvation," she justified.
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