Flesh trade: Delhi not just transit point but emerging source area

Amresh Parab, Navhind Times, July 5, 2016, PANAJI: The national capital Delhi is slowly emerging as a source area for human traffickers wherein women are trafficked to Goa for prostitution.

A data compiled by NGO Anyay Rahit Zindagi (ARZ) reveals that vulnerable girls from Delhi are lured to Goa in the name of better employment opportunities and are commercially sexually exploited (CSE).

As per the data available, since last two and half years, around 200 girls have been rescued in Goa of which 20 are from Delhi. “The number (of victims) is gradually rising,” says ARZ director Arun Pandey referring to the figures of previous five years (2010 to 2014) wherein of the 300 rescued victims 12 were from Delhi. “There is an organised racket between Delhi and Goa for trafficking of girls for prostitution,” informed Pandey.

ARZ is nodal NGO of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Goa police. A senior police officer who was part of various raids confirmed that Delhi is one of the major areas from where traffickers operate.

In view of this, ARZ has now written to the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal requesting to prevent trafficking of vulnerable girls from Delhi, to initiate action against the organised rackets in Delhi and to rehabilitate those rescued in Goa. ARZ has also written to the chairperson of Delhi State Women Commission Swati Mahiwal in this regard.

“In most of the cases, the traffickers in Goa have been arrested but the traffickers in Delhi have not been arrested. The same traffickers have been found to be trafficking girls to Goa,” claimed Pandey.

ARZ is working on the issue of combating human trafficking for CSE since 1998. “We are closely working with the government and non-government agencies in different source areas such as West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Maharashtra, Karnataka to control trafficking of persons to Goa for CSE,” said Pandey adding, “Trafficking cannot be controlled unless there is collaboration between government and non-government agencies in source, transit and destination areas/states”.

Referring to the statistics of rescued victims, Pandey said, “Majority of the girls trafficked from Delhi include those who were working in catering industry while some of them were into ‘dancing’ (non-professional). The agents target these girls and lure them with the promise of better opportunities in Goa”. Pandey said most of these victims are found belonging to dysfunctional families.

All the girls trafficked from Delhi to Goa, travel by flight. The flight tickets are booked by the traffickers and the details are messaged to pimp/agent. “Once in Goa, a taxi driver who is part of the network picks them from the airport in Goa. The girls are then taken to a flat, hotel, or bungalow to stay,” said Pandey. According to Pandey, the girls are mostly not informed that they are bound for flesh trade. “When they refuse, they are asked to repay the flight ticket money and other expenses incurred on them, which most often they are unable to pay and finding no other option succumb to the demands of the traffickers,” informed Pandey.