Supreme Court directed Police Officers to treat sex workers with Respect

The Supreme Court has directed that the police should treat sex workers with dignity and should not abuse them, verbally or physically.

Further, the Court ordered that the media should not publish their pictures or reveal their identity while reporting rescue operations and stated that the offense of voyeurism under IPC.

Section 354C of the Indian Penal Code should be enforced if the media publishes the pictures of sex workers with their clients. The Press Council of India has been directed to issue appropriate guidelines in this regard.

The Court issued these directions in exercise of power under Article 142 of the Constitution of India accepting some recommendations made by a Court-appointed panel on the rights of sex workers.

“…basic protection of human decency and dignity extends to sex workers and their children, who, bearing the brunt of social stigma attached to their work, are removed to the fringes of the society, deprived of their right to live with dignity and opportunities to provide the same to their children”, the Court stated.