PANJIM: Director General of Police (DGP) Jaspal Singh on Friday said that Goa is not a centre point for human trafficking.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an Anti-Huaorganised by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of Goa Police in the city, the DGP said, “There are no incidents of human trafficking taking place here but since Goa is a tourist State, the traffickers think that there is a readymade market and a, it is easy to bring someone here by allurement. They often promise to provide jobs to the victims in hotels or restaurants and then exploit them.”
“However, our economic offences cell keeps an eye on advertisements appearing in newspapers. It is verified that they have a protector of immigrants certificates,” he said.
The DGP said there is weak link in human trafficking cases in rehabilitating victims because it does not fall under the purview of the investigating agencies. “It is important that the victim who is rescued from a crime, is rehabilitated,” the DGP said and added that even parents should also keep an eye on their children if they are spending more time on screen. “There is a big role of families and school here,” he said.
The DGP said conviction in trafficking cases is a challenge as sometimes victims retract from their statements.
The DGP said, “Vulnerable women are lured to Goa in the name of jobs, educational training and then they are commercially sexually exploited by which they lose autonomy of their bodies. The human trafficking agencies force these victims into prostitution against their wishes.”
“We discussed the steps required to prevent these type of crimes and how those culprits can be convicted. The certainty of their punishment is the best way of prevention of crime,” he said.
