Business of prostitution in Goa

 There could be only two reasons for this frequent news about prostitution either all these time the Police was not effective in ‘busting of prostitution racket’ or prostitution has become rampant in Goa. Both these above statements may not be fully true but certainly not false.

Just out of curiosity having read so many such news in the recent past I googled “Prostitution in Goa”, and was surprised to find the number of sites opening up, providing call girl services, escort services with all services included, the photographs of the escorts in very tempting poses. There were some who were offering self services, all with phone numbers and email Ids etc. It is then I realized that prostitution is big business in Goa. Thanks to the banner of ‘tourist destination’.

Businessmen anywhere and everywhere are opportunists, they are taught to be so by these well-known B school, National and international, but none of them inculcate ethics or human values. That is why we have the likes of Vijay Mallya, Ram Murthy of Satyam computers and many others all acclaimed and well respected in the industry. The incident of Vijay Mallya offering 5 kgs of gold at Trupathi when he had not paid salaries of the King fisher airline staff for months together, goes to not only show total lack of ethical and human values but the fact that bribing is normal in the business world, be it to God or Government officials. Now Goa has offered wonderful business opportunities to these pimps or service providers, call them what you want, but they are doing highly profitable business, often aided by the politically powerful and local corrupt officials and greedy hotel and guest house keepers.

Prostitution is considered to be one of the most ancient of professions and no society can boast of total absence of prostitution, the terminologies and methodologies may differ, some may use religious connotations like “temporary marriage” but prostitution does exist in almost all societies. Many societies have been able to control and regulate the same by some method or the other, there are some European countries where prostitution is legalized by which Government earns much more in taxes but more than anything else the health and welfare of the prostitute and their social security aspects are cared for.

In India most of the prostitutes are victims of trafficking and more often than not have been pushed into prostitution by compulsion, force or black mail. Therefore the real culprits are the pimps and service providers, who now a day’s use the virtual media and money transactions are often done electronically. It is this high-profile and often educated breed who have to be controlled, curtailed and punished.

Goa police does have a cyber cell with trained and experienced personnel, who need to get more imaginative in cracking these cartels. Despite use of electronic media and the social media and cyber net work every case of prostitution does take place in some hotel or guest house situated within the state of Goa. This is where community policing would act as an effective strategy. In Goa many hotels, guest houses and time share homes have spread into even the most remotest of villages. Thanks to gullible and often corrupt panchayat members, often permissions have been granted to these establishments despite objections from local communities. Luckily there are some good and genuine village elders and concerned citizens, who can act as the eyes and ears of the police establishment.

These hotels being private establishments right of admission legally is restricted therefore they could while admitting a guest could make sure, by means of a simple computer-based camera to click snaps of every guest and record the same. In addition there could be a biometric system so that every guest’s finger prints are recorded and these could be immediately made available to an integrated police surveillance system so that anyone with criminal record is immediately detected. Of course some guests will object and even some connected NGO’s might raise the human rights bogey. But these are accepted methods in any private establishment where admissions are reserved.

The initial hue and cry will certainly ward off many whose purpose in Goa is illegal or unethical but those genuine tourist will never object and Goa needs only genuine tourists.

These hotels and guest houses being so wide spread, the police have to indentify, and motivate local village members to monitor all lodges in their village and follow these strict guest identification process. These identification process should not be limited to the registered guest, but whosoever visit or stays in the accommodation. Leaving the monitoring to local ‘pancha’s and ‘sarpanches’ will be succumbing to political pressures there for those who monitor have to be independent citizens.

Community policing has a history of success especially in crime prevention but Goa Police should come forward and initiate community policing to curtail, prostitution in Goa.

Goa can become a healthy and safe tourist destination only if local community is involved.

(The writer is a professor of law and former Dean Faculty of Law Goa University.)