Centre for Women and Law (CWL) of National Law University (NLU), Odisha in collaboration with the National Commission for Women (NCW), New Delhi is organizing a National Seminar on Sex Workers and their Children: Legal, Educational, Health, and Occupational Challenges on October 6 in a hybrid mode.
About NLU, Odisha
The University was established and incorporated by the National Law University Odisha NLUO Act of 2008, for advanced teaching and research in law. NLUO is recognized under section 12 (b) of the UGC Act 1956 and its degrees offered are recognized by the Bar Council of India. NLUO is a member of UGC-INFLIBNET and a participant in the National Knowledge Network.
About the Centre
The Centre for Women & Law (CWL) is a Research Centre of the National Law University Odisha that works with the combined effort of faculty members and students of NLUO. The Centre was established to have a platform for the unremitting study of the structural, societal, legal, and regulatory issues associated with gender from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The Centre envisions undertaking studies and raising awareness through a holistic approach to gender issues, working towards equity and justice for all, and providing a deeper legal and cultural appreciation of power imbalance.
About National Commission for Women
National Commission for Women (NCW) was established by the Parliament in January 1992 with the mission of enabling women to achieve equality and equal participation in all spheres of life by securing their due rights and entitlements through suitable policy formulation, legislative measures, effective enforcement of laws, implementation of schemes/policies, and devising strategies for specific problems/situations arising out of discrimination and atrocities against women.
About the Seminar
In India, sex work is governed by the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, of 1986, which keeps sex work legal but criminalizes brothel keeping and middlemen involvement. Despite the legal framework, red-light districts persist in Indian cities. In 2022, the Supreme Court recognized sex work as a profession and granted sex workers dignity and equal protection under the law. However, debates on morality, autonomy, and the social implications of sex work continue.
Sex workers face various issues before and after entering the profession. Once involved, they experience abuse from clients, family members, and authorities, and lack legal protection. Access to essential health services, particularly for HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, is a challenge. Female sex workers are especially vulnerable to diseases due to high-risk sexual behaviors and substance use. Society often perceives female sex workers as “unclean women” and potential sources of infection.
Children of sex workers face significant difficulties as their early life experiences heavily influence their future development. Despite their vulnerability, they are often stigmatized and isolated from mainstream society due to their mothers’ profession. Female sex workers may have children in diverse situations, some without access to contraception or medical termination of pregnancy.
Their well-being and development are important indicators of the overall development of the country. There is limited research on the challenges these women face while raising their children, and little attention is given to the health issues of both the women and their young children.
Objectives
- The primary objective is to promote an exchange of opinions about the issues and challenges faced by sex workers and their children in the facets of law, education, health, and occupation and to combat the same.
- The seminar will provide a forum to reflect upon the existing social stigma surrounding the community of sex workers and initiate discussion on the psychological effects of the same on children growing up within the community.
- In particular, discussions will focus on devising possible solutions to improve the living conditions of the community, discuss the ways in which the violence that they are subjected to on a daily basis can be reduced, and find avenues to provide them with a life of dignity.
- To encourage regional and national communication and collaboration; promote professional interaction and lifelong learning, recognize outstanding contributions of individuals, encourage scholarly researchers to pursue studies in Gender-based violence and the plight of sex workers and their families.
Scheme for the Seminar
The Seminar shall be held in Hybrid Mode to ensure more pan-Indian participation from people. The seminar shall be divided into two sessions: Firstly, the Seminar would commence with a session with distinguished speakers. Secondly, a paper presentation would take place. Participants are invited not only for paper presentations but also for attending the enlightening session.
Themes of the Seminar
Health and Awareness
- General awareness, attitude, perception & practices towards STDs.
- Healthcare access for sex workers.
- Factors affecting treatment-seeking behavior.
- Appropriate strategies for their education and health needs.
- Assess the psychological well-being of children of sex workers.
Law & Policy
- The legal status of female sex workers in India.
- Comparative study of foreign laws regulating sex work.
- Necessary rights-based reforms in the Indian legal framework.
- Protection of International Human rights of the children of the sex workers.
Social and Psychological Impact
- Socio, economic and cultural background of the women in sex work.
- Different kinds of violence faced by women in sex work and its impact on mental health.
- Perception of women about their profession.
- Assess the level of self-esteem and self-efficacy of children of FSWs.
- Barriers sex workers’ children face in accessing education and healthcare services.
- Investigate the link between sex work, child trafficking, and the exploitation of sex workers’ children.
Eligibility Criteria
CWL, NLUO invites academicians, researchers, students, practitioners, and social and women activists to submit research papers based on original empirical research or review papers related to the theme of the seminar “Sex Workers and their Children (Legal, educational, health and occupational challenges).”
How to Register?
Interested applicants may register through the link provided at the end of the post.
Note: There are no registration fees.
How to Submit?
Submissions are to be made in Electronic (MS Word format) form only and are to be sent to cwl@nluo.ac.in. The subject of the mail should be: Submission of Manuscript for NCW Seminar on Sex Workers and their Children.
Submission Guidelines
- Each paper must be accompanied by an abstract of not more than 250 words.
- Citation/referencing should be as per OSCOLA style.
- Submissions must contain a cover letter indicating the name of the author/s, name of the Institution, Designation, Email Id, and Contact Number.
- Text Specifications:
- Font: Times New Roman
- Size: 12
- Line spacing: 1.5
- Margin: 1 inch on each side
- Footnotes Specifications:
- Font: Times New Roman
- Size: 10
- Line Spacing: 1
- Plagiarism in any form is strictly forbidden.
- Format of research paper: Cover Letter, Title of the paper (Bold), Abstract (250 words), Keywords (A maximum of 5), Introduction, References.
- The paper should have a minimum of 4000 words and should not exceed 5000 words. Additionally, tables, illustrations, charts, figures, etc. may be used appropriately. Co-authorship is permitted.
Note: All the authors must send the declaration that the paper is original research work and has not been sent elsewhere for publication or presented in any conference/seminar.
Benefits
Appreciation certificates for the Best Paper Presented based on the quality of the paper would be provided.
Important Dates
- Last date for the submission of the paper: September 21, 2023.
- Notification of acceptance of the paper shall be given within 5 working days.
- Last date for registration: September 30, 2023.
- Date of Seminar: October 6, 2023.
Mode of Participation
- Simple Participation.
- Participation in Paper Presentation.
Location
Seminar Hall, National Law University Odisha, CDA Sector-13, Naraj Road, Cuttack-753015.
Contact Information
In case of any queries, please contact:
Student Co-ordinators
- Aditi Sinha: +91 9304515830
- Tanmay Mishra: +91 8962810412
or email at: cwl@nluo.ac.in.
Click here to register.
Source: Lawctopus
