VIBHA VERMA
PANJIM: When Goa boasts of hordes of tourists descending on the state to celebrate Christmas and New Year 2014 with a bang, many are queuing here not only for drugs but more so for prostitution, with beaches turning into party zones and night life getting way over permissible limits, due to lack of enforcement.
Minors are pushed into the sex trade and the amounts range from Rs 15,000 to Rs 50,000 per night, says NGO Anyay Rahit Zindagi based on their interaction with victims. And most of this is thriving online.
Besides the traditional picking up of commercial sex workers from the roadside and through local contacts, online booking of women and male escorts is booming in Goa under the very noses of the state police. This raises serious question of both the will and the ability of the men in khaki to crack down on prostitution or points out to some high level covert understanding.
The NGOs working in rehabilitation of commercial sex workers claim that teenage girls are pushed in Goa’s seamy night life by organized syndicates to cater to all groups. Majority of the clients were from north Indian states such as Delhi, Punjab and the entire National Capital Territory of Delhi.
ARZ said the girls are mostly booked online in Goa, and are especially flown down by paying airfares.
“Through the statements of the rescued girls, we have come across new modus operandi and new tactics used by customers. Our understanding is that people come here for fun. Not necessarily the family tourists, but groups of friends are increasing manifold…” ARZ Director Arun Pandey said.
With the increase in demand, the supply and rates – primarily during the peak season – also escalated. The girls are supplied anywhere for a sum of Rs 15,000 to Rs 50,000 per night and the Police Department are helpless to crack down on these syndicates.
The girls, aged between 16 to 21 years are in demand indicating that minors are pushed into the trade also in violation of the stringent Goa Children’s Act 2003. An investigation by this reporter found, phone numbers are easily available on the websites that openly promote the sex rackets even after being exposed earlier, showing that there is no fear of the law or some high level protection is given to them. The pimps ask the customer to book a hotel room without which they don’t supply girls. The entire operation runs through phone calls where the pimp and the customer are strangers to each other.
The supplier ensures that the customer SMSes him the name of the hotel, room number, the hotel’s landline number and the customer’s mobile number to proceed further. This, they say, is basically to ascertain that they don’t get fake calls even as they don’t fear the police.
Investigation further revealed that hotels in Panjim, Calangute or Baga are the most preferred. From a mobile number sourced from www.goaescorts.com 9930***04*, the unidentified person insisted a decoy customer to furnish the requirements and fixed the tariff for two hours at Rs 10,000 while for one night, the charges were bargained to Rs 25,000, during the last week.
“Aap pehle hotel book karo, koi tension nahi hoga,” was the reply, which has been recorded by Herald. Their first question upon answering a call is ‘aap kaha se baat kar rahe ho? Kitne samay ke liye chahiye?” making it obvious they get calls for supplying girls.
Most spas and salons are ready to offer “additional services” at Rs 1,500 to Rs 4,000 or more. Another pimp on mobile number 96****077*, said they charge Rs 10 to 15,000 for two hours which shoots to Rs 30,000 for an entire night. It is also interesting to note that the websites clearly mention that they accept payments in cash and entertain genuine male customers.
Websites for male escorts have also taken over the sex trade in Goa. As per www.maleescortgoa.wordpress.com, male tourist guides as male escorts and ‘rental boys’ are easily available in Goa.
“The male escort will be from Goa, equipped with all required information about Goa including hotels, cars, car rentals, beaches, night outs and all the fun activities in Goa. Do contact us and get an ideal male escort and enjoy your stay in Goa… Your wish will be his command and as the boy will be from Goa itself, and will be well versed with local culture , places, beaches, hotels, resorts and other parts of Goa,” reads an extract from the website. Police have also been turning a blind eye to this mushrooming illicit business across the state.
Activist Sabina Martins has questioned the implementation of anti prostitution laws in the state. “We are more concerned over the implementation of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. When we are allowing huge number of people into Goa, there has to be strict measures in place to curtail illegal businesses. But the laws are only on paper,” she alleged.
Minors are pushed into the sex trade and the amounts range from Rs 15,000 to Rs 50,000 per night. Besides the traditional picking up of commercial sex workers from the roadside and through local contacts, online booking of women and male escorts is booming in Goa under the very noses of police
