On Thursday, Dr. Smarajit Jana of the Indian National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) said that changes to India's Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act proposed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development could jeopardize HIV prevention. The legislation would make it an offense to visit a brothel and to have sex with a victim of human trafficking.

"This act basically says that brothel-based sex work will end and that will be very damaging for sex workers," said Mona Mishra, head of the UN Development Program's trafficking and HIV prevention project. She noted that brothels are a place where sex workers can insist on condom use. NACO said the law might push the sex trade underground, making it harder for health workers to reach sex workers.

Under current Indian law, it is illegal to run a brothel but not to visit one. The National Network of Sex Workers says the law's definition of trafficking is so vague that it could apply to all sex workers. Activists predict clients will steer clear of brothels for fear of arrest.

"Sex workers cannot be driven underground, and anything that threatens them makes monitoring them much more difficult," said India's health secretary, P.K. Hota.

Reva Nayyar, India's Women and Child Development secretary, said those fears are unfounded and NACO's health workers would still be able to maintain contact with sex workers. She noted the legislation is necessary to punish clients encouraging the exploitation of underage children.

The National Network of Sex Workers argues that sex workers themselves can guard against trafficking. Putul Singh, a sex worker in Kolkata, said she belongs to a committee that helped rescue nearly 370 underage girls.

India's Parliament will vote on the changes during a session beginning in June.

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