Prostitution in colonial India
The structuring features of the Cantonment Acts provided for about twelve to fifteen Indian women for each regiment of British soldiers.
[2] The Cantonment Act of 1864, originally meant for military bases, was eventually extended to the Presidencies and Provinces of British India.
As the practice of prostitution increasingly became a source of contention between Indians and the British, another Cantonment Act was enacted.
[4] These Acts were meant as a response to the growing number of cases of venereal disease amongst the British military.
[5] The British saw the need for regulation of prostitution to protect their military men, and the issue of venereal diseases had become one of concern for the Quartermaster General of India, Sir Edward Chapman.
They perceived this type of sexual interaction as undermining to colonial hierarchies based on class and race.
They were even more anxious about the possibility of production of mixed-race children from such unions, as it threatened European racial purity.
Growing social disapproval of sexual relations with Indian women compelled the authorities to accept prostitution as a necessary evil.
There was a growing concern for "white slavery", a term that was coined in the 1880s to describe the international trafficking in European prostitutes.
[7] A mass obsession grew over the concern for sexually pure European women who could be violated in "uncivilised lands" as the result of trafficking.
[9] Because of this concern for European women, both feminist and Christian abolitionist movements made the fight against "white slavery", a focal point in their respective agendas.
Due to mounting pressure, the League of Nations formed a committee to combat trafficking of European prostitutes.
This Act allowed for speedy legal action against pimps and traffickers and introduced harsher punishments for those procuring women for prostitution.
[7] Ultimately, the British in India would bow down to the strains caused by the First World War and the abolitionist movements.
These women, who were dedicated to Hindu temples, maintained sexual relations with men of high social status.
[11] Specifically, access to prostitutes was necessary to protect British military men from engaging in homosexual behaviour.
[1] One 1917 committee report by the Government of India claimed that homosexuality would invariably take hold if men were denied access to women.
Many European colonialists viewed homosexuality as perverse, "un-British" behaviour, whereas they often believed that same-sex practices were "natural" to other "inferior" peoples, such as Indians, Arabs, and Africans.
It was seen as necessary to stave off boredom among soldiers and to reinforce imperial dominance through sexual control of Indian women.
[14] Amy Carmichael, a Protestant missionary of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society focused her efforts towards children who were "to be dedicated as temple prostitutes", resulting in the creation of the Dohnavur Fellowship, which rescued one thousand children, as well as operated a hospital and engaged in evangelism.
