Supreme Court to drop word 'sex worker' from its recently released handbook on gender stereotypes

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has decided to update its newly released 'Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes’. The apex court will drop the word 'sex worker' and will replace it with better words. 

The word sex worker will be replaced with trafficked victim/survivor or woman engaged in commercial sexual activity or woman forced into commercial sexual exploitation. 

The move comes in wake of the a letter written by several anti-trafficking non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to the Chief Justice of India. 

The handbook was published in August. It had replaced the words like a 'hooker', or 'prostitute' with 'sex worker'. NGOs in the letter noted that even the word sex worker may in effect promote another set of stereotypes. 

The letter pointed out that the use of a broad term such as 'sex worker' may give a sense that every woman involved in selling sex does so willingly and happily. This overlooks the fact that many end up in this profession due to coercion or deception, and some stay because they feel they have no better options, it said.