Team Herald
PANJIM: Amidst raging protests demanding repeal of Citizenship (Amendment) Act in different parts of the nation and apprehensions of the public that National Population Register (NPR) would lead to National Register of Citizens (NRC), the rescued victims of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) have now raised concern about their fate in the wake of the citizenship act.
One of the victims, originally from Bangladesh, revealed to the government panel that she does not wish to return to her home country for fear of being pushed into flesh trade. She is among dozens of such victims who wants to stay back in India. However, their major hassle is to prove Indian citizenship.
Recently, a 26-year-old girl (Muslim by birth and Hindu by practice) was produced before government panel after being rescued by the police from a sex den. She shared with the panel that she was born in Bangladesh; and after the death of her mother, she was brought to Mumbai by her father and was sold to a brothel owner. At this time, her age was 14 years.
While she was being commercially sexually exploited in different parts of India for 10 years, she was already given a Hindu name. She was trafficked to Goa about three years ago until she was rescued and lodged at government-run Protective Home. The government had thereafter repatriated her to Bangladesh. “By now, in Bangladesh I did not know anyone. My custody was given to an NGO by the Indian authorities, and the NGO handed me over to a distant relative. The relative forcibly got me married and after a few days, my husband brought me to Mumbai and I was once again sold for commercial sexual activity in Mumbai. I was thereafter sent to Goa by a pimp,” she told the panel.
When she appeared before the panel at Protective Home, she pleaded not to be sent to Bangladesh as she would be re-trafficked. She requested to be allowed to stay and rehabilitated in India but she holds no documents to prove Indian nationality.
NGO ARZ, that assists the police in the rescue and rehabilitation of such victims, has stated that it is not uncommon to meet such victims with requests not to be repatriated to their home country as their life will be at risk.
ARZ Director Arun Pandey, a member on the panel, raised concern over the fate of such victims post CAA and sought to know if they will be provided Indian citizenship.
“The situation of the victims who are Indian nationals is no different. It is generally found that they do not have birth certificates, or identity proof documents such as aadhar card, voting card, ration card, passport. Most of them have been provided PAN card by the pimps,” he explained to Herald. He also pointed out to how these victims are also unable to avail any socio-economic benefit or government schemes in absence of relevant documents.
The victims are concerned if they will be treated as victims or offender and lodged at Detention Centre or Rehabilitation Centre for failing to produce citizenship documents.
