TRAFFICKED From Telangana to Goa

“Girls that were hired as film extrasin Tollywood found themselves unemployed,following the separation. Leftwith nothing to do, traffickers havebeen luring these women with thepromise of work at dance events in Goa. Once here, they are pushed into

commercial sex exploitation (CSE),” says Arun Pandey of Arz. But it isn’t only the creation of India’s 29th state that is contributing to the spike in sex tourism and the traffickin of women that has become an all too familiar headline in Goa in recent weeks. The use of Facebook and other digital tools is allowing traffickers to get ever closer to ensnaring unsuspecting women. And their tentacles keep extending ever further to look for prey. A recent report by Arz which works on issues of human trafficking and CSE says though 76.7 percent of the victims are Indians, the number of foreigners being trafficked into Goa for sex tourism has been on the rise. Nepal tops the list with a total of 47per cent foreignvictims, followed by Thailand at 14 per cent and Bangladesh at 13 per cent. Sex tourism in Goa has also seen a supply of women from Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, Ukraine, Russia and Turkmenistan. The Facebook trap Traffickers and sexual exploiters also constantly trawl the Net to hunt, befriend and lure victims. Durga (named changed) is a single mother of three who lived in Mumbai and had a hard time making ends meet. A man got in touch with her one day and said he would be able to help her find a job— in Goa. He even promised to marry her. Without ever meeting the man, Durga took the decision to move to Goa. Once here she was instructed to meet a certain woman. Soon after began the nightmare of her sexual exploitation. After she was rescued, Durga did everything possible to get a conviction against the woman who had pushed her into prostitution. Pimps who operate in the business of sex tourism have mastered the art of creating fake accounts on social networking sites to befriend women and Facebook is the most used tool. Though not as widespread as it is in China, Indonesia and America where using social networking sites has enhanced the businesses of trafficking women, the trend is certainly on the up in India as well. Regardless of their nationality, the Arz study also says most victims come from rural areas. A total of 60.3 percent were found to be from rural areas. The lack of development and inadequate employment options creates a vulnerability to commercial sexual exploitations. But the last two years has seen a dramatic spike in the number of women trafficked into Goa to work in massage parlours and dance bars, the Arz report reveals. From within the country, the North East has become the latest source of trafficked women. Annie from Mizoram responded to a newspaper advertisement for a beautician at a parlour in Goa. The job interview took place in a posh hotel in Mizoram, which more than convinced

her she was headed for a good, respectable job at an attractive location. She even managed to get two of her friends to join her. Two weeks into the new job in Baga, the owner of the parlour pushed her into providing sexual favours to male clients. Annie and her friends refused to be a part of the racket and managed to escape the

owner’s clutches. Annie’s story made it to MTV’s show, Traffic, that campaigns against human trafficking and exploitation. Pandey and his team of counsellors who have worked with these women say they are naïve, which makes them all the more vulnerable to being exploited. “Many of these girls just want to help their relatives and neighboursback home get good jobs” says Jayshree a counsellor. But rescuing some women is not such a simple job either. Many of the women who are pushed into commercial sex work of the high-end sort do not want to reveal the nature of the work they were forced into, to their families. Nor do they want to return to the poverty of their lives. Many, as Jayshree admits, end up going back into the exploitative system. Sex and tourism A glaring figure in sex tourism that has raised the hackles of its residents is that 45.6 per cent of sex exploitation cases registered in Goa cropped up in Calangute. “Calangute had the most cases for a

reason. The clientele that come in this area are mostly domestic male tourists. One of the entertainments they look for is sex. So yes, most of the clients are tourists, but it would be wrong to blame the tourism industry entirely,” Pandey says.

He also points out that the law to deal with traffickers and pimps is lax. “The traffickers have no fear of arrest,

because they know they will get bail in a week. They know that the likelihood of a conviction is also low. Trafficker therefore know they will not be caught, which is why most are habitual offenders,” he says. A better anti human trafficking unit, stronger legislation, quick convictions,

special courts and trained public prosecutors is what is needed, the Arz director says, adding that bringing highend clients to book is the toughest part

of the job. “Getting to these people becomes difficult since they function in five star hotels and posh places. The smaller ones are easier to nab.” Given that this is a business without much of an investment, traffickers cleverly use their money to keep the victims quiet. The women are promised that they will be compensated during their rescue and stay at the shelter home. “In many cases, the traffickers brainwash the girls into believing they will be paid

for keeping quiet during their rescue. The girls don’t share any information in the hope that once they’re let off, they will be paid off. But in most cases, they never get the money,” one of the counsellors says.

Though 76.7 percent of the victims are Indians, thenumber of foreigners being trafficked into Goa for sex tourism has been on the rise. Nepal tops the list with a total of 47per cent foreign victims, followed by Thailand at 14 per cent and Bangladesh at 13 per cent. Sex tourism in Goa has also seen a supply of women

from Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, Ukraine, Russia and Turkmenistan.