A breakdown of all the places from where the victims are trafficked

As the prostitution activity continues to spread its tentacles in every corner of the State despite the widespread crackdowns, Goa will soon witness increasing victims from NCR, Punjab and Haryana as their number – based on rescue operations – is witnessing a surge.

According to a report titled “Trafficking of Women & Children for Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in Goa – A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS (2014-2019),” there is a shift in source States, which earlier was largely involving girls from North Eastern states. ARZ Director Arun Pandey said that NCR was fast developing as a major source State and over the next few years, more girls from Punjab and Haryana are likely to be rescued. 

The report, exclusively accessed by Herald, maximum 30.7 per cent rescued victims hail from different parts of Maharashtra followed by 22.1 per cent victims from West Bengal and 10.4 per cent Delhi. Goan girls constitute 7.1 per cent of the total rescued victims. As per the rescue operations during these five years, natives of Punjab and Haryana constitute 3 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively. 

On the other hand, the victims from North Eastern States have declined as statistics reveal that 1.3 per cent women from Manipur, 0.7 per cent from Nagaland and 0.3 per cent from Mizoram were rescued. Victims to come are trafficked from as many as 24 States, almost covering the entire country. 

Similarly, among foreign nationalities, victims from Central Asia are amongst the highest and in what could prove huge threat to the national security; the traffickers create their fake Aadhaar cards and marriage certificates too. “Victims from Central Asia are provided with Aadhaar cards, voting cards, ‘Nikah nama’ and driving license by their traffickers in Delhi. Similarly, documents of Bangladeshi girls are made in West Bengal and in some cases in Maharashtra,” Pandey said admitting that these fake documents make it difficult to conduct home investigations after the girls are rescued. Details state that these girls are trafficked via Nepal to Delhi – a transit for trafficking of foreign nationals to Goa. “Most of these women are also brought to India in the guise of respectable jobs but pushed into sex trade. Since their passports are seized by the traffickers, the women are forced to cooperate with their traffickers,” he said. 

So also, victims from Bangladesh constitute 41.8 per cent and Nepal 25.5 per cent while Uzbekistan is 16.4 per cent.  

Furthermore, 84 per cent women have been trafficked to Goa from India in the last five years while 16 per cent were from other countries. 

Poor educational background, need for money for education of children, to pay back loans, are some reasons why the girls enter the illegal trade while in some cases the girls are ether betrayed by their boyfriends/male friends or lured in guise of jobs in casinos or catering business in Goa.  

In terms of the profiles of the victims, most of them are aged between 21 to 35 years and are either divorced, widowed while all are victims of domestic violence. 

ARZ has been appointed the “Nodal NGO” of the Integrated Anti-human Trafficking Unit of Goa Police and it has been assisting the police in the rescue of girls and women trafficked to Goa for commercial sexual exploitation. ARZ, in collaboration with the Department of Women and Child Welfare, Goa, also provides rehabilitation to the rescued victims.