People who pay for sexual services in brothels can be prosecuted under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (ITP Act), ruled the Kerala High Court on Wednesday. It reasoned that such payments amount to “inducing prostitution.” This ruling came from a case linked to a 2021 police raid in Peroorkad, Thiruvananthapuram.
Justice VG Arun said that sex workers should not be treated as commodition, and those seeking their services are not merely “customers” but active participants in exploitation. “A person availing the services of a sex worker in a brothel cannot be called a customer. The payment made serves as an inducement, forcing the sex worker to act against their will, often under conditions or trafficking and coercion,” said the Court.
