AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
A video of a lady offer ing her services, after it went viral, has once again brought the subject of prostitution to the centre of public debate in Goa. Flesh trade is not new to Goa, but increasingly, the State is being seen as a safe destination for prostitu tion by both touts and those whose bodies are used com mercially, say activists. “Pimps that used to op erate from outside are now operating from Goa along with women for whom Goa has become a safe place to work, making it very clear that prostitution has reached such heights because law enforcement is bad,” stated Juliana Lohar, Deputy Direc tor of NGO Anyay Rahit Zind agi (ARZ). The root of the problem, according to Lohar, lies in two questions: how is the market operating and who is operating it. “The police have the answers to both,” she be lieves. Prostitution has long been part of Goa’s social fabric but has escalated significantly with the advent of casinos and the proliferation of spas that cater to the rich and middle class. The story of Ruksana (name changed on request) partly explains how spas act as conduits to the trade. “I came to Goa with a man who gained my trust,” recol lects Ruksana who claims to hail from a poor family. “Wanting to contribute financially, I offered to work and I was slowly convinced that if I slept with another man, it would help us financially. I had to go to a spa, it hurt, but I had no choice,” Ruksana revealed.
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At eighteen, she carries herself with a striking pres ence—poised, confident, and dressed in a way that draws attention. “My man now drops me to pre-determined plac es decided by clients. I do not go to know how much he charges but I usually end up with gifts and tips. Once I was given three bundles of five hundred rupees,” she confesses. Someone making money by another selling his or her body is a crime under the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA), 1956. The Act, according to Lohar, is sound; however, compliance remains weak. Renuka, who appears to be in her early twenties, is en joying an alcoholic drink late into the night at a club in Chapora, amid the bustle of nightlife. She is with a group of girls, all managed by what she terms “an event manage ment company.” “We normally get a message in the afternoon at what time to be ready and where I will be picked up. If I do not get client at a club I am dropped at, I am brought over, here,” confesses Renuka as she tries to cajole the stags around. The dynamics involving foreign and Indian women in the trade differ, believes Lohar. “Like in the case of the foreign er in the video, the police should have called the hotel she mentioned because they are profiteering and the police have not done so,” reasons the activist. Supreme Court of India guidelines mandate that any of ficer of the rank of Police Inspector and above can rescue a victim at any time of the day. They forbid arrest and in stead recommend a hearing before a magistrate followed by counselling through an NGO. “There have been occasions when my boss (the man with whom she lives and runs her life) has even put a knife against my neck. He beats me but I have learnt to tolerate it because going back home is not an option,” admits Dolly who has also asked for anonymity.
Dolly ran away one recent evening, out of fear, from the man she is living with but is resigned to the fact that she will go back one of these days and everything will be okay. “Sometimes, I stray out to the beach,” she admits, while scoffing at the idea that the police in Harmal are keen on solving the problem. “The raid conducted by the police – see O Heraldo dated February 19, 2026 – ‘Arambol residents term flesh trade crackdown cosmetic,’ according to Lohar, “was to appease the people. That was not a solution to the problem.” Sheriff Jacques, who was once the PI of Mandrem Police Station and was responsible for deporting a number of foreign women found soliciting business on Harmal Beach and other areas, had this to say: “After all, they are humans like us and they have to be treated that way. There were times, I thought the best way to help the foreigners was to deport them because once home, they would be in a better position to decide what is best for them.”
