The Queen's Daughters in IndiaBushnell, Katharine C. (Katharine Caroline)
History
The Queen's Daughters in India
Bushnell, Katharine C. (Katharine Caroline)
Prostitution -- India; Women -- India -- Conduct of life; Women -- India -- Social conditions
This order said (and military orders are well-nigh inexorable): "In the
regimental bazaars[1] it is necessary to have a sufficient number of
women, to take care that they are sufficiently attractive, to provide
them with proper houses, and, above all, to insist upon means of
ablution being always available." It proceeds: "If young soldiers are
carefully advised in regard to the advantage of ablution, and recognise
that convenient arrangements exist in the regimental bazaar [that is,
in the chakla], they may be expected to avoid the risks involved in
association with women who are not recognised [that is, licensed] by
the regimental authorities." In other words, young soldiers are not
expected to be moral, but only to be instructed as to the safest way of
practising immorality. This remarkable document goes on to suggest that
young soldiers should be taught to consider it a "point of honour" to
save each other from contagion by pointing out to their officers women
with whom there was risk of disease. The document calls attention to
the need of more women, and the necessity of making the free quarters
"houses that will meet the wishes of the women"--in order, it is
implied, that they may be the more easily lured to live in them.
The official record of what followed, as a result of effort on
the part of under-officials to carry out the instructions of the
Commander-in-Chief (Lord Roberts) is truly shocking, as might be
expected. The officer in command of the 2nd Battalion Cheshire Regiment
sent the following application to the magistrate of Umballa Cantonment:
"Requisition for extra attractive women for regimental bazaar, in
accordance with Circular Memorandum 21a." "These women's fares," it
continues, "by one-horse conveyances, from Umballa to Solon, will
be paid by the Cheshire Regiment on arrival. Please send young and
attractive women, as laid down in Quartermaster-General's Circular, No.
21a." Then he added a note to the effect that some of the women already
at hand were not very attractive, adding: "Application has been made
to the Cantonment magistrate of Umballa for others, but up to date
none have arrived; therefore, it is presumed a great difficulty exists
in procuring the class of young women asked for." Evidently it was an
amazing thing to these self-styled Christian military officials that
heathen women would not flock to their slave pens!
Another commanding officer writes: "There are not enough women; they
are not attractive enough. More and younger women are required, and
their houses should be improved." Yet another commanding officer
writes: "I have ordered the number of prostitutes to be increased to
twelve, and have given special instructions as to the four additional
women being young and of attractive appearance."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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