Shillong, Sep 9: Trinamool Congress MLA Miani D Shira today chose to speak openly about the visible rise of prostitution in Khyndailad and Police Bazar, the busiest market of Shillong.
Prostitution is a subject left untouched by many even those in positions of authority. But Shira chose to confront the issue head-on in the Assembly.
During a special motion on drug abuse and HIV, the Ampati legislator linked the growing prevalence of sex work in the city to the sharp rise in HIV cases and substance abuse in the state. “The spread of HIV is the other side of the same coin of drug abuse. One of the main factors behind the increase in HIV positives is open and increasing prostitution,” Shira said.
She recalled her three decades of life in Shillong, saying she had never witnessed such a situation before. “If I go to Police Bazar, near the SP’s office, or even past the Governor’s House, I see things I had never seen earlier. It is unfortunate that I, as a woman, have to stand here and speak about this,” she told the House.
Calling the situation “alarming and unfortunate,” Shira urged the government and police to act immediately, while also involving NGOs, churches, religious bodies, and civil society groups in tackling the issue.
On HIV, she recommended testing facilities across PHCs to counter stigma, counselling for patients, and easier access to medication. She further warned that drug addiction is now widespread, affecting even rural areas, with nearly 10 per cent of the state’s population caught in substance abuse.
Shira also pressed for more de-addiction and rehabilitation centres in every district, particularly facilities for women, noting that current interventions are concentrated in urban areas.
“This issue needs urgent attention. We cannot afford to ignore it any longer,” she stressed.
