Dear good citizens of India,

I’m Austin Shivaji Kumar, a 26-year-old filmmaker from Mumbai, Maharashtra

As someone who deeply respects and supports women’s empowerment, and who equally values good men, I believe one crime deserves zero tolerance and maximum punishment: violence against women.

When a woman is hurt, it shakes me to the core and I know it shakes millions of you too.

That is exactly why I am writing this petition today.

We cannot keep pretending the current system protects anyone. It doesn’t.

It’s time to face the truth and fix the law for women, for society, for our future.

Let’s start with the problem…

India's Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA) 1956, a colonial relic, criminalizes brothels and organized sex work while allowing individual adult sex work. This half-measure fails as it drives sex work underground, exposes workers to exploitation, violence, and health risks, and ignores a key psychological truth: repression breeds desire.

Psychology proves this "forbidden fruit effect."

A peer reviewed research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2011) shows that restricting access to something increases attraction to it. When options are forbidden, people fixate more. Think of eye-tracking experiments where kids stared longer at banned candy, leading to higher emotional arousal and craving. Applied here: criminalizing safe sex work pushes frustrated desires toward illegal, unsafe acts, including rape. The more we constrain consensual outlets, the more twisted behaviors emerge.

Sex is already widespread in India. The Supreme Court in 2022 (Budhadev Karmaskar v. State of West Bengal) ruled sex work as a legitimate profession, affirming adults' right to consent and dignity under Article 21. But without regulated brothels, it's not sanitized. Workers face pimps, trafficking, and no oversight, turning a legal act into a chaotic risk.

One Woman is Being Raped Every 9 Seconds, and Justice Fails Her 😠

It might be just another statistic for people but it's a lifelong nightmare for someone who is going through it every day. In 2022, 31,516 cases were reported, averaging 86 rapes daily. It means one every 15 minutes. That's up from 28,046 in 2020.

But this is the tip: National Family Health Survey (NFHS, 2015-16) and National Crime Records Bureau show that about 99.1% of sexual violence cases were not reported. Taking this rate into account and 2022 NCRB figure of 31,516 reported rape cases, the real number could be more than 3.5 millions annually. A whopping one every nine seconds.

Conviction rates (only for reported cases) were a dismal 27–28% from 2018 to 2022, with over 90% of cases pending in courts and a backlog of 198,285 cases in 2022 alone.

Victims wait years for justice, suffer from social pressure, while rapists walk free.

Based on reported numbers, murders with rape/gang rape hit 248 in 2022, up from 219 in 2020. In states like Rajasthan, rates are 15.9 per 100,000, highest in India. Socially marginalized women face 11 rapes daily, a decade-long surge.

This isn't random; it's linked to repressed desires exploding into violence. Without safe, legal outlets, men turn to force. Legal brothels could channel urges consensually, slashing these horrors.

As a man who strongly despises violence against women, I see this as unforgivable, those who hurt women deserve zero mercy, but prevention saves lives.

STDs Ruin Lives When Sex Work Stays Illegal

Unregulated sex work spreads disease fast. Among female sex workers (FSWs), STI prevalence is 35.8%, gonorrhea up to 19%, chlamydia 22%, syphilis 51%, trichomoniasis 54%. HIV pooled rate: 12.6%, varying by region (West India: 27.2%). In the general population, STIs affect 6%, but FSWs bear 20-30% burden due to inconsistent condoms (only 70% with clients, 17% with regulars).

Studies show underground work worsens this: fear of raids means no condoms carried, leading to 10.8 STI events per person-year in some areas. Legal brothels would enforce testing, condoms, hygiene, and would reduce risks massively. Without them, diseases like syphilis (17% in some FSW groups) and HIV spread to families, costing India billions in healthcare and millions of precious lives.

What Other Countries Show Us: Regulated Sex Work Means Fewer Rapes and Safer Lives

1. New Zealand (Decriminalized 2003): Violence against workers dropped; street workers reported better safety and justice access. No trafficking surge—Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women found none from 2003-2018. HIV/STI rates fell with better condom use (up to 89%). Workers gained labor rights, challenging harassment.
2. Netherlands (Legalized 2000): Rape and sexual abuse decreased 30-40% in regulated zones. STI rates dropped; workers in licensed brothels report low violence due to security. Exploitation reduced as legal options undercut traffickers.
3. Germany (Liberalized 2002): Rape rates fell 3 cases per 100,000 post-legalization. Murders of workers decreased, though attempts rose slightly, still safer than illegal markets. STDs like gonorrhea declined; mandatory health checks help.

These aren't perfect, but data clearly proves my point: legalization sanitizes sex work, boosts safety, cuts rape (up to 31% in Rhode Island's brief decrim window), and curbs STDs (47% gonorrhea drop). India can adapt: consent-based brothels with age checks, health mandates, and strict anti-trafficking rules.

The Solution: Legal, Consent-Only Brothels to Protect Women and Channel Desires Safely

Update ITPA 1956 to allow regulated brothels for consenting adults (18+). Key rules:

1. Mandatory consent, age verification, and no coercion, severe penalties for violators.
2. Health protocols: Regular STI/HIV testing, condom mandates, free clinics.
3. Worker rights: No exploitation, fair pay, exit support.
4. Police role: Protect workers, not harass; raids only for trafficking.
5. Oversight: Licenses, audits to prevent abuse.

Good men and women deserve equality. As someone who deeply respects women and hates their harm, I know repression fails.

Sex happens broadly; the Supreme Court legalized it individually, now time to sanitize it collectively. This is the ultimate fix: end underground dangers, eliminate rape by channeling desires safely, slash STDs, empower workers.

Sign Now: Help End This Nightmare, Help Stop Women Being Raped, Punish the Guilty with No Mercy

India can’t wait another day.

Every nine seconds one of our sisters daughters mothers is being raped right now. Right this moment. And tomorrow it will happen again.

This isn’t just a statistic. It’s real women suffering lifelong trauma while rapists walk free because the system fails them.

Legal consent-based brothel houses won’t magically fix everything. But they will cut underground desperation, reduce forced acts, curb disease spread, and give women real protection and dignity instead of danger.

That means fewer victims, fewer broken lives, a healthier society and actual empowerment. Not just words. Together, we end this nightmare with no mercy for abusers, full protection for the workers.

Sign the Petition

Before another nine seconds pass