Beauty and the beast

Young girls, especially from the North-east, are being lured by friendly women by the offer of a job in a beauty parlour in metros. What they are actually offered is anything but beautiful, says Linda Chhakchhuak
Just 17 years old and raring to go, Mita was offered a chance to work in a beauty parlour in the big metropolis of Mumbai. For a girl from Mizoram, a remote corner in India's north-eastern region, it was a dream come true. Mita was offered the job by a man, whose name she did not know nor cared to remember, as it was "too hard to pronounce".
A woman, who was known to both Mita and the man, had made the job offer on his behalf. Incidentally, this woman happened to be 'a friend of a friend', and was from Mita's tribe and employed at the man's parlour in Mumbai. Mita was delighted at her prospects: Rs 8,000 a month for a job at an aromatic spa, in addition to lodging at the spa's 'hostel'. Having undergone training at a local beauty parlour in the state capital, Aizawl, Mita was eager to join.In October last year, Mita and three other recruits travelled to Mumbai by train along with the woman who had made the offer. "When we reached, we were taken to a hostel that the owners ran themselves. We had been told that we would be working at a beauty parlour. Within a day, an employee there was asked to 'train' us in the art of body massaging. This was something I could not do," she said. It was during a ‘live training session’ when she was giving a client a head massage that the client asked her to massage his lower back and stomach. "He told me that he would pay me extra," she said. "We were made to sit in a row in the front room of the parlour where clients would pick a girl of their choice to do their massage," she explained.
Nowhere to go
Already uneasy with the kind of 'beauty job' she was being dragged into, the client's demand frightened Mita, who ran out of the room and hid upstairs. The assistants were sent to bring her down. "I was then scolded by the owners and ordered to massage the client." But she refused. "I screamed and called out for my friend Asha (an 18-year-old recruit from a remote village in Mizoram with whom she had travelled to Mumbai) who was working in another room. She came running. I told her that I could not do this job. She was also scared, but massaged the client on my behalf." Unable to come to terms with their new job, the two young women decided to leave. But how? Coming from less than well-off homes, they had spent a lot of their family's hard-earned money on the travel to Mumbai and the employers refused to pay them their salary and fare. Luckily for Mita, a distant relative was studying medicine in the city and sponsored their trip back home. Dozens of young women from the northeast are similarly lured to Mumbai and other big cities such as Bangalore and Delhi. Those with strong family support - like Mita and Asha - are able to return home. Yet, there are others who continue to work in dehumanising conditions. Says Mita of two of her friends, who stayed on at the 'spa', "The job was not what they expected but they decided to adapt to the situation."According to the police, many may not have much of a home to return to. After that, it's a small step from the body massaging business to the body-selling trade. "Working in that kind of an environment, it is just a matter of a split-second decision to cross the line. But once it's decided, it's a quick move into the world of full-scale commercial sex," said a police official. Are they victims?So, can such young women be called victims of 'human trafficking?' "Some would say that they are not victims but willing participants as they went on their own volition. But I think they have to be categorised as victims as they were lured with the promise of a job," says Angela Ralte of the Centre of Peace and Development (CPD), an Aizawl-based NGO working on woman and child issues. CPD is one of the dozens of NGOs helping women in distress in the region. Mizoram offers fertile ground for traffickers on the look out for fresh faces for their 'parlours'.
Girls from the hills have an added 'chinky' look that has close physical affinity with women from Thailand, a country that has earned the reputation of something of a beauty and sex capital.Traffickers have worked out a more sophisticated approach now, said Ralte. "They never force the girls. They never forcefully keep anyone. The girls are maneouvered into a position where they find it difficult to leave as the person they trusted is still working along with them. The actual trafficker is their friend," she explains. There being no actual 'crime' to report, the victim finds it difficult to go to the police.

A COMPREHENSIVE SCHEME FOR RESCUE AND REHABILITATION OF TRAFFICKED WOMEN AND CHILDREN LAUNCHED

The Government today launched a comprehensive scheme for prevention of trafficking and rescue & rehabilitation of trafficked women and children. The scheme 'Ujjawala' will have specific components for reintegration and repatriation of the victims including cross border victims. Launching the scheme here today, Smt. Renuka Chowdhury, Minister for Women and Child Development said that her Ministry has adopted a multi-pronged approach, which has legislation, policy and programmatic interventions to combat trafficking in a holistic manner. Rehabilitation and reintegration of the victims is ultimate objective of the proposed scheme besides prevention of trafficking. Under the scheme, some innovative inputs like mobilization of adolescent groups through formation of Bal and Balika Sangha, community vigilance groups and sensitization of police. Immediate relief that include food and shelter and trauma care/counseling will also be provided to the rescued victims, she said. Underlining the importance of public participation to check trafficking, the Minister said that the proposed scheme will be implemented through NGO and initially about 50 projects will be taken up benefiting over 2500 victims directly. She said that one of the difficult tasks is repatriation of cross-border victims. The scheme would provide inputs for safe repatriation of such victims with shelter facilities at the borders. Corporate sectors are also being involved for skill training, capacity building, job placement and income generating activities for rescued victims, the Minister added. Referring proposed amendments to the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, Smt. Renuka Chowdhury said that the act is being amended to target the traffickers and to withdraw those provisions, which re-victimize the victims of trafficking. She express the hope that 'Ujjawala' would go a long way in tackling the problem of trafficking, a heinous crime.
The scheme 'Ujjawala' has following five components:
-Prevention, which consists of formation of community vigilance groups/adolescents groups, awareness and sensitization of important functionaries like police, community leaders and preparation of IEC material, holding workshops, etc.
-Rescue, safe withdrawal of the victim from the place of exploitation.
-Rehabilitation, which includes providing safe shelter for victims with basic inputs of food, clothing, counseling medical care, legal aid, vocational training and income generation activities etc.
-Reintegration, which includes restoring the victim into the family/community (if she so desires) and the accompanying costs.
-Repatriation, to provide support to cross-border victims for their safe repatriation to their country of origin.
The Minister also briefed about the East Asia gender equality meet being held in New Delhi on December 6-7, 2007. The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, will inaugurate the Ministerial level meeting being attended by 16 countries of the region and various international organizations. The meeting will discuss ways and means to promote gender equality in the region and regional cooperation for the empowerment of women. The main themes for the discussion during the meet are – women participation in decision making, violence against women and home based workers. The meeting would adopt "Delhi Declaration" to set directions in this regard. Countries and organizations attending the meeting are: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao, People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mynmar, New Zealand, Phillipines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and representatives from UNIFEM, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, UNESCAP and UNODC

Human Trafficking: Biggest crime after arms

Human Trafficking: Biggest crime after arms14 Oct, 2007, 1505 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: With human trafficking being listed as the second biggest crime after arms and drugs trafficking, experts have called for a holistic legislation to deal with the increasing incidence of the trade in the country. "Human trafficking is a kind of International Terrorism. It is the second largest crime after the drugs and arms trafficking in the world", says Malini Bhattacharya, prominent member of the National Commission for Women (NCW). Bhattacharya, a former member of Lok Sabha, says that the ever increasing number of female and child trafficking is very alarming, especially in South Asia. According to UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), approximately 150,000 people are trafficked within South Asia annually making the region the second only to South East Asia in prevalence of human trafficking. And India is an origin, transit and destination country for trafficking in persons. There are no numbers to measure the extent and magnitude of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation in India. According to an estimate, 90 per cent of India's sex trafficking is internal. Trafficking from neighbouring countries accounts for 10 per cent of the coerced migration in India with approximately 2.17 per cent from Bangladesh and 2.6 per cent being from Nepal. At a recent seminar organised by an NGO Apne Aap Women Worldwide (A2W2), Supreme Court lawyer Aparna Bhatt said, "The law regarding this crime is not holistic. There is no institutional mechanism in place to deal with such things and there's lack of concern for addressing its prevention." The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that the average profits generated from trafficked forced labour are as high as $32 billion a year and is linked to other organized crimes like human smuggling, drug trafficking, and money laundering. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reports that between 600,000 800,000 women, men and children are trafficked across international borders each year. Of these, the majority are girls and women, and over 50 per cent are children. It is estimated that every year, between 5,000 to 10,000 Nepalese women and girls are trafficked to India for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. Another estimate points to between 40,000 to 200,000 women and girls from Nepal working in brothels in various cities in India. Ruchira Gupta, Executive Director, A2W2, says the changing socio fabric of Indian society and urges government for coming down heavily on the 'end-users' of sex exploitation so that the 'demand' vanishes out from the trade and the national as well as the 'human security' of poor individuals is not undermined

India among top human trafficking destinations: UN

India among top human trafficking destinations: UN
New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS) India is emerging as a leading destination for human trafficking in South Asia, with over 35,000 young girls and women from Bangladesh and Nepal being brought into the country every year, the United Nations said here Wednesday.
"Human trafficking is world's third largest profit-making illicit industry and in south Asia India is among the favoured destinations. Here people are mostly trafficked from Bangladesh and Nepal," said Gary Lewis, chief of UN office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) here.
"In India 20,000-25,000 women and children are trafficked from Bangladesh annually, while 5,000-15,000 are brought illegally from Nepal for the primary purpose of prostitution and slavery," Lewis said ahead of the global conference UN.GIFT, to be held in the capital Oct 10-11.
The conference is likely to be attended by several union ministers and Bollywood personalities including John Abraham, Amisha Patel, Kiron Kher and Onir.
Superstar Amitabh Bachchan will send a special message for the fight against human trafficking.
"The more devastating fact is that now Nepali girls below 10 years are being forced into the trade. In the 1980s (trafficked) girls were mostly in the age group of 14-16 and in 1994 the age further reduced to 10-14.
"But last year girls below 10 were found trapped into the human trafficking business. This not only puts their lives in peril but also exposes them to higher risk of HIV/AIDS," Lewis told IANS.
The UN official said that 2-3 million people are trafficked annually in and out of India and, most disturbingly, a large number of people from states like West Bengal and Orissa and the northeastern region are trafficked to metropolitan cities like Delhi and Mumbai for various reasons.
According to the UN definition, trafficking in persons means the recruitment, transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion abduction, of fraud, for the purpose of exploitation.
P.M. Nair, project coordinator with UNODC, said: "People from these states are trafficked to work in dance bars, pubs, restaurants, friendship clubs, massage parlours and for domestic chores."
To combat this ever-escalating problem the state governments must set up anti-human trafficking cells and coordinate among themselves, he suggested.
Nair added that very few states - Andhra Pradesh, Goa and West Bengal - have set up such mechanisms.
Asked about what initiative the UN is taking to curb human trafficking, Nair said: "We are closely working with states and are also providing special training to police officials dealing with human trafficking victims.
"We also design various programme and guidelines related to the issue. Our teams jointly work with NGOs in rescuing and rehabilitating the victims," he added.
Nair said that 96 rescue operations have been conducted so far this year and 800 victims including 662 minors were rescued. "A total of 1,008 traffickers and 220 customers were also arrested."
Roma Debabrata, who runs an NGO 'STOP' for such people, said the need of the hour is more and quick conviction of those involved in human trafficking.
IANS

Minors in flesh trade cause concern

Minors in flesh trade cause concern
30 Sep 2007, ,
PUNE: A disturbing trend seems to be emerging in the city, with the number of minor girls being found trapped and forced into prostitution rising in Budhwar Peth, Pune’s red light area,. This year, 52 minor girls were rescued by the Faraskhana police as against 22 adult women. Of the 172 women rescued last year, under provisions of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA), 109 were minors, while 69 others were adult women. Senior police inspector at the Faraskhana police station, V.T. Pawar, said the increase in the number of minors rescued emphasised that more and more young girls were being forced into prostitution. Various myths were also being seen as being responsible for this trend. Tejaswi Sevekari, project director of Saheli, an NGO which has been working for over ten years in the Budhwar Peth area, agreed with this finding. "We have been witnessing this for the past four to five years. A lot of minor girls are being brought here from Bangladesh and Nepal." The average age of minors trafficked in Budhwar Peth starts from 15, they are sold at around Rs 50,000 each for being "in demand", said Sevekari. According to her, several minor girls are first kept at the brothel owner’s house, which is generally on the outskirts of the city and later brought into the mainstream of the trade. During festive seasons, the situation in Budhwar Peth is one of intense activity, Sevekari said. "A large number of minor girls and women are trafficked in the city during these times. There is also a lot of seasonal internal migration of prostitutes here, as the number of people visiting the city goes up." This year, the NGO had conducted a survey to understand the increased migration during the festivities, in a single lane of Budhwar Peth. According to the survey, Margi gulli had around 215 new faces within the eight days of a recently concluded festival. Recently, some local corporators from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) joined brothel owners and protested in front of the Shukrawar Peth police chowky. This was after an NGO requested the police to rescue a minor from Karnataka who had been allegedly sold by her mother. Explaining the protest, corporator Pooja Yadav (Shiv Sena) said they were not opposing the move to rescue minors but were against the "forcible rescue of those who want to continue in the flesh trade." She said such women were not accepted once they were forcibly sent back to their villages.

Dubai:Court cuts human trafficking sentences of Indian traffickers

09/26/2007

By Bassam Za'za', Staff Reporter
Dubai: Two Indians who sexually exploited a housemaid have had their prison terms cut from 15 years to seven. The two were jailed under the new federal law to combat human trafficking.
The Dubai Court of Appeal overturned the initial ruling after the Indian couple, a 29-year-old woman, T.S., and her 25-year-old male driver, M.K., sought leniency earlier this month.
Meanwhile, a Pakistani driver, Z.Q., will spend three years in jail for aiding and abetting the couple although he was earlier acquitted due to lack of evidence. The three will be deported after serving their jail terms.
The verdict, handed down by the Dubai Court of First Instance last July, was considered the first implementation of Federal Law No 51 on Human Trafficking 2006.
Physical abuse
The Indians were charged with trying to sell the Indonesian victim's services to a police officer who was posing as a client. T.S. was also charged with physically abusing the Indonesian.
The victim said in her statement that her compatriot encouraged her to abandon her sponsor. She stayed with her friend before being taken away by a Bangladeshi. She said she was then "sold" to some Indians in Al Ain, who in turn sold her to M.K. and T.S. for Dh4,300.
"The two pocketed the money from my customers. The woman used to beat and abuse me," she said.
In another human trafficking case a court cleared an Indian couple of trafficking two teenage boys.
The Dubai Court of Cassation confirmed the acquittal of 54-year-old businessman, A.K., and his 52-year-old wife, M.S., who had been accused of trafficking two Indian boys whom they were escorting to Paris.
They were cleared of charges of attempting to traffic J.J., 13, and J.Q., 12, after their lawyer submitted written consent from the boys' parents allowing them to escort the boys to France.
"The defendants were escorting the boys from India to Paris via Dubai to their uncle," said their lawyer Dr Riyadh Al Kabban of Al Kabban Advocates and Legal Consultants.
However, the court upheld a six-month prison term for the couple for using fake passports for the boys. They will be deported after serving their terms.

Hyderabad activist enables sex workers start life afresh

K Rajani Kanth / New Delhi
September 25, 2007
Sunitha Krishnan's organisation empowers them through training in carpentry, welding and housekeeping.
For 12-year-old Laila, it was a never ending saga of pain and fear. Enslaved in a cellar for three years, she was subjected to physical abuse and mental torture by a number of men.
She can barely recall her childhood, the time when she was fondly called Laxmi in her hometown in Andhra Pradesh. Laila was rescued by Prajwala, an anti-trafficking organisation, from a red light area in Mumbai.
Prajwala is a movement started by Sunitha Krishnan, a health care professional in Hyderabad. Sunitha is full of stories of many such girls who were rescued and brought back into society.
“Even as a young girl of 16, I wanted to work for the cause of children and women. I was arrested for protesting against the 1995 Miss World contest held in Bangalore, and had to serve a two-month sentence. After being released, I decided to move out of Bangalore and settle down in Hyderabad,” 35-year-old Sunitha, co-founder and chief functionary, Prajwala, says.
In 1996, sex workers living in Mehboob ki Mehandi, a red light area in Hyderabad, were evacuated. As a result, thousands of women, who were caught in the clutches of prostitution, were left homeless.
Having found a like-minded person in Brother Jose Vetticatil, a missionary, Sunitha Krishnan started a transition school at the vacated brothel to prevent the second generation from being trafficked.
“We began in a small way by responding to the plight of the mothers. Things were not easy during the initial days. Although the women were concerned about their children, they were not ready for any kind of partnership. I made a calculated move to have a win-win situation. ‘You give me information about the destitute women trapped in prostitution, and I will provide education to your child’ was how I convinced the them, and it worked well,” she says.
Today, Prajwala runs over 17 transition centres in different areas of Andhra Pradesh for the sex workers’ children. Over 5,000 children have benefited from the second generation prevention programme.
The organisation, so far, has rescued more than 2,500 victims with the help of the information provided by its partners and through police intervention. The organisation has 80 members in India and 25 members abroad.
“In order to empower the rescued, we started to train them in carpentry, welding, printing and stationery material, and also in the manufacture of wooden and steel furniture, besides training them as housekeepers to work in hotels and hospitals,” Sunitha says.
“So far, we have provided rehabilitation to nearly 1,500 girls, but couldn't succeed in doing so in 1,000 other cases. I don't think I failed but probably I didn't get the desired results. For instance, we rescued a 20-year girl from a Pune red light area and offered a Rs 6,000-per month salary package to her to work for us. She rejected the offer and went back. After 10 days, she called me and said she realised her mistake and was willing to work for the cause. Today, she is one of our main informers. Now, can this be called a failure,” she says.
Sunitha Krishnan is supported by Rajesh Touch River, a film maker known for his internationally-acclaimed movie In the Name of Buddha. He has made more than a dozen short films for Prajwala. One of these films Anamika (nameless) is now a part of the curricula of the Andhra Pradesh Police Academy and the National Police Academy.
“Unlike many other organisations, Prajwala is not a project. It is a need-based organisation. I will close down Prajwala the day society stops treating women and children as objects of exploitation,” proclaims Sunitha Krishnan.
prajwalaindia.org

The Autobiography of a Sex Worker

Books & Literature
Colouring the shadows
Thursday September 20 2007
M T Saju
The Autobiography of a Sex Worker
By Nalini Jameela
Westland books, Rs 150

Nalini doesn’t know English. She can’t even write her mother tongue, Malayalam, properly. But when she published her autobiography, Oru Laingikatozhilaaliyude Athmakatha, in Malayalam in 2005, the book became a bestseller. It went into six editions in one hundred days with a record sale of 13,000 copies. Westland has now published in English the revised version of her memoirs, The Autobiography of a Sex Worker, which portrays the life of a woman caught between prostitution and motherhood.
Nalini became a sex worker after her husband’s death. The two-and-a-half rupees she was earning from a local clay mine was not sufficient. Her mother-in-law also demanded a large sum from her to take care of her children. Frustrated, Nalini even thought of sending her children to an orphanage. But her friend advised her to meet one Rosa chechi of Thrissur who could help her get a reasonable income. “It’s moneyed men who come; they need women. If you go along with what they want, you will get paid,” her friend told her.
Nalini finally met Rosa chechi. She took her to Ramanilayam, a government guesthouse to meet a police officer. It was during the Emergency. The guesthouse’s full-length mirror and the luxurious bathroom decorations were new to Nalini. Soon a man in a gold-bordered dhoti, with a sandal mark on his forehead entered the room. “The man looked like an aristocrat, and not like a policeman. His behaviour towards me that night was very tender. It lasted just one night. This was the person I’d dreamt of, the lover who appeared in my fantasies,” Nalini writes.
But Nalini was wrong. A police jeep dropped her at the Mission Quarters in the early morning. But soon after the jeep left, another one stopped near her. The policemen rudely asked her to get inside and she obliged. At the police station, she was subjected to caning on the feet. She realised the truth that the same handsome man had handed her over to the police. “Men can be both tender and cruel at the same time. I learned that lesson from my very first client,” she writes.
Nalini, along with Rosa chechi, Sheela and Karthyayani rented out a house in Vavannur and established their Company House (small brothels) with the help of brokers and local gundas like Manukka and Kunhappa. Though Nalini couldn’t go back home, her mother-in-law accepted her earnings that were sent through a woman friend. But not for long, as she fell out with Rosa.
The Autobiography of a Sex Worker portrays the struggle of a sex worker and the various aspects of that life. So don’t think that it is a narration of Nalini’s sexual encounters with her clients. There are interesting “clients” and “chaps”. Velayudhan is one among them. He used to get her a sari whenever he visited her: “Once when I went to Chottanikkara, the famous temple-town, I had carried just one set of clothes. Velayudhan insisted on going back a second time to the temple. I draped the bed sheet around me, washed all my clothes, and hung them up to dry. Suddenly, the police knocked on the door. It was a dangerous moment, I could have been arrested stark naked. I escaped only because he rose to the situation. When the police asked him to call me he told them very convincingly that his wife was ill, that she had taken some medicines and was now resting. He was so smart; they swallowed the story of the illness. After that, whenever he came, he always brought me a sari.”
When Koyakka, a harbour worker who divorced both his wives since they had no kids, proposed to Nalini, she accepted on the condition that they give up the relationship if they don’t have children. They started living together and Nalini became pregnant. But she soon found out that Koyakka had been in touch with his second wife, who was also pregnant by then. Nalini was denied the status she desired in the house. So she moved to a rented house when she was six months pregnant. Her daughter Zeenat was born there. Koyakka’s second wife had already given birth to a baby girl. Koyakka was not able to accept Nalini’s child as she was a Hindu. So she decided to end that 20-month-old marriage.
The marriage that lasted was the one with Shahul Hameed who Nalini met when she was roaming around the Thrissur KSRTC bus station. Nalini had to change her name to Jameela to convince Shahul’s relatives that his wife was a Muslim. They rented a house and lived as husband and wife for almost 12 years with her daughter Zeenat. Unfortunately Shahul’s plastic board business faced a huge loss. He stopped coming home. Nalini fell ill suddenly with a swelling in the liver due to her drinking habits. “My right leg became inflamed and broke into an open sore. It started bleeding and I was back on the streets with 13-year-old Zeenat,” she writes. Then we see Nalini as a sex worker mother who had to struggle to protect her daughter from molesters. She ran from pillar to post to put her daughter in a safe place. And that’s the most touching part in this autobiography.
With the help of social activists Maitreyan and Paulson, Nalini travelled to Thailand to screen her first documentary in 2003. This opened a new horizon for her. She also participated in sex workers’ meets organised in various cities in India. She questioned the idea of ‘rehabilitation’ of sex workers, saying “Sex workers aren’t a group that stays the same all the time. These are people who keep changing. If some move out, others move in. What can be done about them?” she asks. Nalini has visited brothels in many places, and she says that the best run are in Kolkata and Karnataka. The brothels in Mumbai are the worst, according to her. “If two people want to have sex by common consent, if this is in no way a nuisance to others, then it should not be questioned. This is particularly important in Kerala, where there are no brothels,” she argues.
The book, which has seven chapters, presents a powerful account of a sex worker who seeks dignity and freedom in society on her own terms.
‘We want justice’
When I first published my autobiography in Malayalam, I never expected that the book will become a bestseller. But it did. It was more than what I expected. And it still remains a big wonder for me. I am happy to know that my book has now come out in English, a language that I don’t know. But I am thrilled. I don’t have words to express my feelings. I wrote my autobiography to show that we, sex workers, deserve a better place in the society. I have raised my voice for the entire community. We want justice. It was social activist Maitreyan who first asked me to write a book. But it was difficult for me to write. I tried but couldn’t succeed. One day Gopinath, another social activist, approached me and offered to write my autobiography. We used to sit for hours. He would note down what I told him. He also used to record our conversations. It took almost one year to complete the book. I will be always grateful to Gopinath for this. — As told to MTS

Two convicted of employing child labour

Date:23/09/2007

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Special Correspondent
VISAKHAPATNAM: City Second Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Satya Rao on Thursday convicted and imposed a penalty of Rs.10,000 each on Kummoju Prasad and Sodipalli Prasad for employing child labourers violating Section 3 of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. If they failed to pay the penalty they would have to undergo three months simple imprisonment.
While Kummoju Prasad, who is running a catering equipment repair shop near Lakshmi Talkies, was found to have employed a 13-year-old boy Maddu Tataji, Sodipalli Prasad, who is owning a scooter repair shop on Lakshmi Talkies Road, employed a boy S. Shiva (13).
The cases were detected and investigated by city assistant labour officer (circle-I) Kesava Panda under the supervision of regional deputy labour commissioner M.N. Varahala Reddy.

SC told scheme being formulated to put stop to human trafficking

13 September 2007
The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has told the Supreme Court that it was formulating a comprehensive scheme for prevention of human trafficking, rescue, rehabilitation and re-integration of victims of the human smuggling and commercial sexual exploitation activities.The Ministry, in its affidavit dated September 10, also told the apex court that the scheme proposed a component for rescue and provides for rescue operations and immediate relief to the rescued victims.
The Ministry has also submitted to the court that separate directions will to go to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs, as the Immoral Trafficking(Prevention) Act, 1956 is to be amended so that women and children rescued from brothels, redlight areas or from any other situation of prostitution will not be treated as criminals but as victims. A Bench, comprising Justice S B Sinha and Justice H S Bedi, directed all state governments to file their responses to the PIL on prevention of trafficking.(UNI)

How sex workers are buying cars, investing right

November 4, 2006
Aditya Ghosh , Hindustan Times

Mumbai, September 09, 2007

How sex workers are buying cars, investing rightMalthy never thought loans could be issued in 30 minutes flat. Or that she could ever shop in a supermarket. Or own a car.
Her past experience of insult and ridicule created a sense of fear in Malthy. But now she walks confidently, deposits her savings and draws at will, asks for loans and gets them in quick time too. She’s also a partner in the supermarket business and will soon buy Tata Sumos to rent out.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials were stunned a few months ago when a group of sex workers from Kamathipura approached them for registering a bank. Though the RBI could not grant the request, they were impressed with the commitment and showed them an alternative.
Inspired by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who pioneered micro-credit in Bangladesh, a credit cooperative took shape. The Sangini Mahila Seva Cooperative Society, for, of and by sex workers of Kamathipura, already has 750 members and has collected a Rs 8 lakh corpus in two months. Pimps and goons can no longer extort or snatch away their earnings, which are now deposited with the cooperative.
The cooperative made a term deposit of the corpus with a nationalised bank, earning 9.6 per cent interest. Each depositor earns 3.5 per cent interest, just as in a savings account. The additional 6 per cent is used to issue loans and pay salaries to the cooperative’s staff.
When the cooperative found that it had surplus funds, it decided to go into business. A wholesale supermarket took shape, buying everything from groceries to vegetables at wholesale rates from the Vashi trading hub and selling to members at prices lower than the market rate. “This way, our daily expenses reduce,” said Malthy.
Jiwan Saha, an accountant who conceived of the idea, plans to expand the cooperative’s scope. “We hope to buy cars and air-conditioners, and rent them out. That way we can earn more profits for the women,” he said.
The cooperative is supported by Population Services International, a Washington-based NGO. “This is a great leap forward for sex workers in Kamathipura,” said Shilpa Merchant, Mumbai director of Population Services.
The likes of Malthy agree. “It’s simple and convenient. Most importantly, it makes me feel secure,” she smiled.

prostitution in Lodges :Guntur lodges closure order upheld by High Court

DECCAN CHRONICLE
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Guntur lodges plea rejected
Justice N. Ram Mohan Rao of the AP High Court on Wednesday refused to interfere with an order made by the Guntur sub-divisional magistrate directing closure of three lodges — Vijetha, Nandini and Sri Krishna — on grounds of violation of law relating to human trafficking.
The judge permitted the owner of the premises G. Siva Parvathi and two others to make an appropriate application to the magistrate and seek possession of the property.

Andhra cafe.com
Lodge closure upheld:HC
Updated: 09-06-2007
Hyderabad Sept. 5. Justice N.Ram Mohan Rao of the state High Court on Wednesday upheld an order made by the Sub Divisional Magistrate Guntur directing the temporary closure of three lodges Vijetha, Nandini and Sri Krishna. in the city on grounds of trafficking. The judge was dealing with a writ petition filed by G. Siva Parvathi and two others the owners of the premises complaining that the closure was ordered without notice to them. The court however added that the petitioners may choose to make an appropriate application to the Magistrate and seek possession of the property.
http://www.andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=26716

The Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking 10-11 October 2007 - New Delhi

UN.GIFT
“Responding to Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation in South Asia”-
A Regional Conference in India 10-11 October 2007 - New Delhi

The problem and progress to date:
Trafficking in women and children is a matter of great concern all over the world. In South Asia. cross-border trafficking, sourcing, transit to destination is a big problem. Even more prevalent is the movement of persons within the countries for exploitation in various forms. There are no definite figures about the number of victims. Trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation is the most virulent form in South Asia.
The movement of young girls from Nepal and Bangladesh into Indian brothels is common. However, most of the trafficking takes place within India itself. There is further movement of these women and girls to the Middle East as well as other destinations. Similar movement from Pakistan and Sri Lanka has been observed. At times of hardship, this starts out as illegal migration and ends up as trafficking. Internal displacement due to conflict in some of these countries, poverty and lack of employment opportunities, increase the vulnerabilities to being trafficked.
The response to combating the crime of human trafficking by the countries of South Asia has been inadequate. There is limited awareness and although knowledge of and the willingness to speak out against trafficking has increased significantly in the past half decade, it is still only at minimal levels. In addition to the lack of awareness, existing anti-trafficking legislation in most countries is inadequate. The law enforcement response – which is meant to provide an effective deterrent to traffickers – is also weak, irresponsive and not victim-friendly.
For instance, in India, a recent survey by the National Human Rights Commission, states that only 7 percent of the police personnel have received any kind of training whatsoever. The number of cases registered or the percentage of convictions of traffickers is low. The victims are often ‘re-victimized’ when brought in contact with the law, because they are arrested on charges of soliciting. In cases when the women and girls have been rescued, rehabilitation and repatriation is not possible as the resources to do this are inadequate (even within NGO sectors) to support them. There is also an immense need for better shelter facilities for the victims.
As if this were not enough, South Asia is home to one of the largest concentrations of people living with HIV. Female sex workers (FSWs) – as a group – are an important driver of the epidemic. As has been shown in very recent research involving repatriated FSWs in Nepal, many of the FSWs who have been trafficked are at a significantly higher risk than “average” women of contracting HIV.
Except for Sri Lanka none of the other countries of South Asia have signed the UNTOC Protocol on Trafficking.
On the positive side, South Asia has shown that with modest amounts of funding and focused advocacy targeting law enforcement and the political establishment, dramatic changes can occur in the response of “governance structures” to improve the situation.
For example, through recent police training initiatives in five pilot states in India, year-on-year comparative statistics (pre-project and now) demonstrate that empowering the police to make informed decisions about the victims has led to:

• A dramatic increase in numbers of traffickers arrested
• A dramatic increase in numbers of victims rescued
• A reduction in the number of women/girls arrested for soliciting
• Greater involvement of NGOs in rescue operations and referral for treatment
• A greater willingness by the police to include such training and empowerment activities in the wider curricula of its law enforcement training academies
• An increase in the level of positive coverage (as opposed to sensationalized press stories) of human trafficking as a human security challenge in India.

This initiative has encouraged other enforcement officers to counter human trafficking to a degree that was largely unheard of even two years ago.Such action, if extended and expanded, will underpin much of the tireless and positive work by the multitude of effective NGO operations already underway providing prevention programmes, protection and shelter.

Justification:

As the guardian of the UN Protocol, UNODC is leading the initiative to cause a turning point in the fight against trafficking. This is the UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT).
The Implementation Phase will be launched following a first global stocktaking event – the Vienna Forum – to be held in February 2008. In preparation for the Vienna Forum and the subsequent Implementation Phase of UN GIFT, a number of regional events will focus on the regional characteristics of human trafficking.The UNODC Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) has been carrying out focused interventions in the field of law enforcement capacity-building and victim support in the region. The focus of work has always been squarely centered on addressing trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.Therefore, within this wider spectrum of human trafficking, UNODC will undertake, as part of the UN.GIFT initiative, a regional conference on 'Responding to Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation in South Asia'. This conference will focus on the fundamentals of law enforcement capacity building, partnership with the private sector to provide victim support, and organizational networking. The outcome of this conference will serve as a major arm in the platform for the Vienna meeting in November, as it would have raised the issue of trafficking in South Asia only a month earlier.Additionally, regional leadership will be attuned to the problem through the 'New Delhi Declaration' facilitating discussions and deliberations.

Activities:
This conference will predominantly highlight private sector partnerships in combating human trafficking. Tourism, technology, manufacturing, and transportation industries are all impacted by human trafficking, and members of these and other industries have an incentive to combat it. Their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility will be highlighted during a business leader panel, and a dedicated working group segment will the leaders space to discuss new strategies for combating human trafficking. Private businesses will also be encouraged to present examples of best practice to date in their efforts to counter human trafficking.Equipped with prior experiences and discussions, participants can become agents of change themselves. Each participant will select a working group within which to discuss a particular aspect of trafficking. These groups are tasked with examining and debating issues within that subject area, and as a group, devising several clauses that they would like to see included in the final 'New Delhi Declaration'. Parliamentarians would be invited to participate in these discussions, as well as listen to each of the working group, make a formal presentation of their clauses for inclusion in the Declaration. There will be a forum for discussion after the Declaration is finalized. The New Delhi Declaration and the comments about its contents will provide a tool for increased advocacy against human trafficking. The collaborative format under which the Declaration will be accepted will add to its legitimacy and acceptance among the very stakeholders who will be implementing its contents.
Identified Areas for Discussion:

1. Round Table: Developing Business Responses to Human Trafficking
2. Round Table: Tackling human trafficking – Role of media
3. Law enforcement responses to human trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation
4. Community participation for prevention of human trafficking '
5. Protecting the victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation
6. Trafficking for forced labour – Role of corporations, law enforcement agencies and NGOs
7. Trans-national human trafficking – the importance of promoting safe migration
8. HIV/AIDS and human trafficking.

Objectives:
There are five clear outcomes that we envision emerging from this campaign that will go a long way in realizing the goal of the UNODC in encouraging a global dialogue on human trafficking. These are:

• Visibility and Advocacy: The problem of human trafficking will be prioritized in South Asia. There will be greater networking among stakeholders as a result of the conference. The conference will end with a Declaration to energize the region’s efforts against trafficking.
• Partnerships with the Private Sector: The campaign provides a focal point for forging new partnerships with business enterprises and philanthropists, and an avenue for engaging them in the fight against human trafficking.
• Knowledge: Plenary sessions, symposia and satellite sessions will all focus sharing best practices in addressing human trafficking in South Asia.
  Event:
• 2 day regional conference
• The Government of India will be partnering with UNODC in this event.
• This event will involve all SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries- namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka - plus Afghanistan, which recently joined SAARC.

Proposed Date:
10-11 October 2007

Venue:
New Delhi, Government Conference Centre at Vigyan Bhawan.

Participants:

• Representatives from South Asia – civil society members, representatives from Government including law enforcement. academics, and media representatives.
• Selected representatives from various international organizations and donors will also be invited to participate.
• NGO partners who are not part of the country delegations.
• Selected participants from the private sector.
• Media partners who have demonstrated an interest and a capacity to project the issue of trafficking at the regional level

Prostitution racket busted in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, Sep 7: A prostitution racket being run from a woman police officer's house has been busted here with the arrest of six people, including the racket's kingpin.A police team raided a house owned by sub-inspector Meera Agrawal Thursday night and arrested six people including four girls. The kingpin of the racket, Mohan Patel, 35, and a customer Anil Dodwani were also arrested.Patel had taken the house located in the Professors' locality here on rent for running the illegal trade. Three of the arrested girls aged around 25 belong to Mumbai while the fourth hails from Nagpur. Mohan Patel too is a resident of Nagpur.

Mumbai:4 booked for running sex racket

4 booked for running sex racket9 Sep 2007,
MUMBAI: Four women were recently booked by the Oshiwara police for running a prostitution racket from an apartment at the Lokhandwala complex, Andheri (W). Officials said the racket was being run under the guise of an ayurvedic massage centre. Among the accused, a 31-year-old woman acted as manager of the ayurvedic massage centre, but was actually the kingpin of the racket. The other three women, aged 25-29 years, worked under her supervision. The trio hails from middle-class families. According to the police, the accused ran a health clinic and spa on the third floor of a building. Massages were offered to known clients at Rs 5,000. The police sent a bogus customer on Wednesday morning and after he signalled, officers barged in with a team and nabbed the women. The building also houses a gym and two retail coffee outlets. All four women were booked under section 345 of the Indian Penal Code read with 7(B) of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act. They were produced before a metropolitan court in Andheri. While the kingpin was sent to judicial custody till September 11, the other three were released on bail

NAGPUR-75 CSWs detained in city

2 Sep 2007,

NAGPUR: In one of the biggest such operations, police rounded up 75 commercial sex workers (CSWs) from Ganga Jamuna on Saturday evening. In simultaneous raids, personnel from crime branch, zone-III squad, and as many as five police stations swooped down on several brothels in the red light area and rounded up the CSWs. Deputy commissioner of police zone-III Madhukar Pandey, under whose supervision the raid was conducted, said, "We conducted the raid mainly to check whether any minor girls were involved in prostitution." It may be recalled that police had rescued a minor girl, who was forced into prostitution from the same area, on August 30. Sources said that Saturday’s raid may have emerged from the information provided by that girl, a native of Gondia. Police said about five girls picked up in the operation were suspected to be minors. "Although the detained girls were reluctant to divulge their ages, one can make a reasonable guess that they were minors," a source said. An officer said another hurdle in the way was that most of the girls were involved in prostitution on their own. "Unless it’s someone who has been forced into this trade, ascertaining the girl’s age is tricky," he said. The mothers, sisters or other relatives of these girls are also said to be involved in prostitution. Sources said they too were picked up in the raid. "We will now focus our attention on those girls whose parents do not know they are in this trade," said an officer. The detained CSWs are likely to be produced before the court on Sunday. After initial arrests, the police got clues about Agrawal’s involvement and arrested him along with six others. The nabbed persons have been remanded to police custody till August 4

NHRC issues notices to Gujarat, Rajasthan over child-trafficking

3 Sep 2007,
NEW DELHI: Taking suo moto cognizance of reports of tribal children being trafficked to Gujarat from Rajasthan to work in cotton farms, the National Human Rights Commission on Monday issued notices to both the state governments. The NHRC issued notices to the Chief Secretaries of Gujarat and Rajasthan following a report which said that tribal children, aged between 10-15 years, from Banswara, Dungarpur and Udaipur in Rajasthan were being trafficked to cotton farms in Gujarat's Sabarkantha and Banaskantha districts. Noting that the incident was a "serious issue of violation of human rights", the commission said it has asked the senior officials to submit their replies within four weeks. It said the children were paid Rs 40 for 10 hours of work when the minimum wage in the state was Rs 50 and even this meagre amount was not given to them. The NHRC said the amount was paid to the contractors who brought these children to the farms. Besides, these children, including girls, were made to live in makeshift shelters in the middle of cotton fields, making them vulnerable to abuse, the report said.

Minor Mothers: Ill-fated girls pawns for sex racket

BABIES FOR SALE
September 03, 2007

Young girls trafficked to Delhi from Jharkhand and West Bengal, forced into pregnancy and conceiving, their babies sold to prospective buyers. In the heart of India's Capital, placement agencies thrive as their “side-business” of baby selling booms.
The shocking expose on the underbelly of Capital’s adoption market conducted by a CNN-IBN special investigation team on Sunday has sent authorities running for cover and calling for action.
Hours after the investigation - that revealed how minor girls were being illegally brought to Delhi as potential child producers in the garb of domestic help - was aired, the child welfare committee took serious note of the matter and asked for strong action against the culprits.
But while the expose raises difficult questions and seeks accountability, it also reflects on Indian society’s apathy. Do Indians really care for domestic help?
On CNN-IBN’s Sunday special ‘Babies for Sale’, Bhupendra Chaubey discussed the issue with Central Voluntary Adoption and Resource Agency (CEVARA) Leila Baig Secretary and Founder Member of Nirmala Niketan Subhash Bhatnagar.
Just why do such cases happen? Are laws – or the lack of them – to blame? Is that the reason why trafficking of children is now becoming a part of adoption process in the country?
Answering the question Baig said, “It’s not entirely adoption laws which are at fault over here but there is a huge demand for children now. There aren’t enough children coming into the regulated system. So rumors are rampant of private adoptions taking place. This is an abuse of the system where there are so many guilty parties involved.”
“There are the employers of these people their children are being subjected to prostitution, they are probably being abused in many ways and the consent is not taken of the mother,” she added.
When it comes to trafficking or dealing with cases of trafficking, the laws are just not clear. The only law which deals with trafficking refers to prostitution.
Talking about the laws related to adoption and trafficking, Bhatnagar said, “There is absolutely no law for the girls who are being trafficked for domestic work or for any other work. There are only fraud agencies writing registration but they are not registered anywhere. It is mostly a husband wife team registering a partnership deal.”
Talking about the charges to be framed against the guilty, North-West Delhi DCP Manish Agarwal said the statement of the victim, Sukhmai, reveals a kidnapping attempt, rape and confinement and finally, abduction of her baby.
“We have initially leveled allegations at the charges of 363, 367 then 342, 376 which is rape, 506 that is intimidation and 34 that is common intention of committing all the crimes as mentioned. But most of the sections are non-bailable. Nevertheless we are hopeful that with the help of the girl being taken to the native place, she will be able to identify the person and that will make the entire investigation easier,” he said.
The Government figures too tell a dramatic story. Figures estimate that about 12 million children under the age of 14 are employed - that’s almost 12 per cent of India's total population. If we have failed to first control the practice of child labour, how can we deal with such mammoth problems?
The figures show that while the incidents of crime against domestic help in the last two years have increased by 40 per cent, the conviction rate is only 10 per cent. Many activists believe that there’s a predominant feeling within the civil society that because it’s a domestic help - perceived to be a helpless creature - anyone can get away with anything.
“Yes they sometimes feel that they are feeding and clothing young person and there is no control or no standards imposed. They don’t pay the salaries of these people; it’s a total question of bonded labor,” Baig replied.
When someone comes to a placement agency or a middle-man for adoption, there’s just no way that his/her intent can be established.
Then how can an agency ensure that the baby is being handed over to safe hands?
“When they come to an adoption agency there is a whole screening process for the adopted parents and we are very much aware of the fact that certain families want children to look after them in their old age. But we make sure that the family is adequately motivated,” she said.
The number of such children who continue to come to the Delhi in search of jobs continues to increase. There is no way that you can impose any ban against these people. The basic problem is not just with the parents but with the children who get load with these kind of business but also with the businessman with the agencies.
Is this need of the hour to actually create a distinction between a placement agency and an agency, which wants to actually work as something else but is working under the placement agency?
“There certainly has to be certain restrictions. Now adoption agencies are recognized for two purposes for keeping children and also keeping unwed mothers incase they come to them on the time of distress or crisis. So these people are employment placement agencies. They are not child adoption placement agencies, “Baig said.
Agreeing to Baig's statement Bhatnagar said, “Definitely we need a law now in the present circumstances when there is high demand of domestic workers to regulate the entire domestic work and that is that the national commission for women is also planning to recommend to the government.”

'Sex workers not to be treated as criminals'

31 Aug 2007, 0109 hrs IST,

Dhananjay Mahapatra,

NEW DELHI: Taking a major step to change the law enforcers' approach towards sex workers, the Centre on Thursday agreed before the SC not to treat them as criminals but as victims. The change in the mindset of the lawmakers, articulated by the ministry of women and child development headed by Renuka Choudhury, will go a long way to minimise the harassment faced by sex workers after being rescued from brothels. India has an estimated 9 lakh sex workers. The WCD ministry, through counsel Hrishikesh Barua, stated that it is working on amendments to the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act to give effect to its proposal to treat rescued sex workers as victims. Not to be left behind, the home ministry said it also planned to adopt a compassionate approach towards children trafficked from neighbouring countries to India.

Petitioner NGO 'Prajwala' through counsel Aparna Bhat and P Ramesh had suggested that in case of children who are suspected to be from across the border, the police should not register a case under the Foreigners Act as they are more victims than illegal immigrants. The home ministry said: "On being rescued, if a child is found to be a national of a foreign country, prosecution under the Foreigners Act is not usually insisted upon provided the child will be repatriated to his/her country of origin after a due process of consular access and verification of nationality." In most cases involving children, it has been found that the trafficked child does not possess any valid travel documents and, therefore, verification of nationality is the key determinant for deciding the country to which he/she could be repatriated, it said. This would bring succour to nearly 6,000 to 10,000 children from Nepal and Bangladesh who are trafficked annually to India, with many ending up as sex workers.

A Bench comprising Justices S B Sinha and H S Bedi asked the WCD ministry and home ministry to file their responses in affidavit form within 10 days so that appropriate direction could be passed on the PIL, which sought directions to stop human trafficking as well as ameliorate the condition of sex workers and their children.

Seven -year RI for SVU professor in sex racket case at Tirupati

Date:22/08/2007

Seven -year RI for SVU professor in sex racket case

Tirupati: In what has come to be known as the sensational sex racket case allegedly involving a professor of Sri Venkateswara University, Vasanthakumari, the Assistant Sessions Judge, Tirupati, Sambasiva Naidu, on Tuesday sentenced the accused for seven years RI and also levied a penalty of Rs.22,000. Delivering the judgement in the case which created ripples in 2005, the judge found the accused guilty under Section 373 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and also under different sections and clauses of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act and sentenced her to 7 years RI.
The judge also sentenced another accused, Srikanth alias Teja, to 7 years RI besides levying a fine of Rs.10,000.
The Tirupati (West) police investigated the case and filed the chargesheet under the supervision of the DSP, Tirupati, Rajaiah and Town Circle Inspector Venkatanadha Reddy.

Police rescue tribal girl

Date:22/08/2007

Andhra Pradesh -

Eluru Police rescue tribal girl
Staff Reporter
Kingpin manages to escape
The girl lured promising her to secure a job
Efforts on to rescue two victims in Singapore
ELURU: A gullible teenaged girl from the agency of West Godavari district would have ended up languishing in sex work overseas, but for the prompt action by the city-based police. A team of police led by the city Circle Inspector Vijaya Paul and II-Town Sub Inspector N Govindarajulu raided the den of a woman trafficker at Ashoknagar and saved the girl. However, the trafficker managed to evade the arrest.
According to DSP V. Premakumar, Tatiparti Jayamma of Jalipudi on the city outskirts allegedly lured the girl by helping her purse a course in nursing and secure a job and kept the victim at her house for a few days. When Jayamma was trying to secure a passport for the girl to be trafficked to Singapore and Malaysia through a gang based in Tamil Nadu, the police rescued the girl.
The victim, a daughter of a farm worker from Buttayagudem mandal, dreamt of becoming a staff nurse. But her poor financial background appeared to be a major stumbling block for her to realise her dream. When she was asked to pay a sum of Rs 15,000 for admission in the Nursing course by the management of a Tanuku-based nursing college, the trafficker entered the scene to cash in on the victim’s poverty.
Jayamma, was reportedly thriving on trafficking of women overseas by securing a passport and visiting visa.
The accused allegedly trafficked two women from the city to Singapore. The DSP said efforts were underway to nab the trafficker and rescue the two victims languishing in Singapore.

Women trafficked for baby boys: UN

November 4, 2006
Chetan Chauhan,
Hindustan Times
New Delhi, August 23, 2007
Punjab and Haryana continue to exploit the girl child. A new United Nations report released on Wednesday reveals that girls and women are not only trafficked to these two states to improve the skewed sex ratio but also, and mainly, to bear male children. Once they give birth to a boy, they are usually sexually exploited and either abandoned or passed on to another man.
Punjab and Haryana — two of India’s wealthiest states — also have the dubious distinction of being among the states with the most skewed sex ratios — in the age group of 0-6 — in the country. Punjab has a ratio of 886 girls to 1,000 boys while the number in Haryana is 867.
The districts with the worst sex ratios also come from the two states. The worst offender is Fathegarh Sahib in Punjab, which has a ratio of just 766 girls to a 1,000 boys.
Despite the skewed ratio, the United Nations Development Fund report indicates that the desire for a male child still persists and for that, women are trafficked regularly from Assam and West Bengal. “There is an emerging pattern of trafficking girls from West Bengal and Assam to the more prosperous states of Punjab and Haryana where the gender gap is most acute,” reads the report titled Human Trafficking and HIV: Exploring Vulnerabilities and Responses in South Asia’.
So far, it was believed that poor women from Bihar, Assam and West Bengal, were being trafficked to Punjab and Haryana to fill in the shortage of women for marriage. Now, the study conducted by the UNDP reveals that women are mostly trafficked to bear male children. “The woman is either abandoned or passed on to another man after the birth of the male child,” the study — covering India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal — says.
Terror recruits getting younger
On a different subject, the damning report also notes that extremist outfits in the country have “reportedly” begun recruiting boys aged between eight and 15 years to provide food and deliver ransom notes without arousing the suspicion of the police. “The People's War Group (now Communist Party of India-Maoist) founded these organisations in an attempt to train children to resist police interrogation more effectively,” it reads, adding that tribal girls are reportedly used as couriers in the areas of Adilabad and Dandakaranya.

Pune City a major hub for trafficking’

REGIONAL CONSULTATION HIGHLIGHTS MUSHROOMING OF PROSTITUTION; STATE DRAWING PLAN
‘City a major hub for trafficking’

Pune, August 23: OVER 2,000 girls rescued in trafficking cases in Maharashtra during the last three years hail from other states and other countries like South Africa, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. This fact was highlighted by Aslam Khan, social worker at the Police Commissionerate’s Women and Child Vigilance Department. He was speaking at a regional consultation on anti-trafficking organised by Holistic Child Development India (HCDI) on Thursday.
With Maharashtra emerging as a major destination for trafficking, Khan said that Pune, Nagpur and Jalgaon were among the primary hubs. “Approximately 3,755 girls, including minors, were rescued in the previous three years. Of these, barely 600 girls come from Maharashtra, whereas 500 were brought in from other countries, and the remaining from other states in the country,” said Khan.


Bride Groom 18 - 24 25 - 30 31 - 35 36 - 45 46 - 50 50+India USA United Kingdom UAE Canada Australia Pakistan Saudi Arabia Kuwait South Africa
Khan also said that trafficking and prostitution were no longer restricted to just brothels. “Recently, this trade has also been mushrooming in newer places like massage parlours, ‘friendship’ clubs and even web portals like Orkut,” said Khan.
Emphasising the need for prevention as a means to tackle trafficking, Khan said that the Maharashtra Government was drawing up a State Action Plan for prevention of child trafficking. “The draft for this plan has already been approved by the committee headed by the additional secretary of the State Home Department, and is likely to be approved by the Legislative Assembly within the next few months,” he said.
The Action Plan would involve interventions at every stage, beginning with the reasons for trafficking. “In most cases the parents send their children into prostitution to generate additional income. In such cases, the government would offer financial aid schemes like scholarships for the child’s education,” said Khan.
The regional consultation was attended by representatives of various organisations in Pune and Mumbai working in the field of child trafficking, prostitution and HIV prevention. These included representatives of the Good Shepherd Sisters, Mumbai, Indian Network for People living with HIV/AIDS (INPH), Pune Diocese, and Kaya Kalp, Pune. “HCDI along with the Good Shepherd Sisters, Mumbai, will be preparing a programme of action based on the discussions and suggestions made during the consultation,” said HCDI consultant Naina Athalye.
Father Jeetendra David of Pune Diocese spoke about the difficulties encountered while preventing children from entering into prostitution, because of objections by employers and even parents who lived off the additional income. “Such women should be provided with basic facilities like ration cards and education, and security for them and their children,” said David.
Network to track missingA national network to track missing children is being set up through collaboration with NGOs and various government committees at the national, state and district level, said Khan. “This network would involve setting up a software to track and match details of missing children, which could be uploaded on websites at the city and village level,” said Khan, adding that the project was currently being designed by various NGOs like Prerna and Save the Children. “The project implementation can be done by district level committees comprising special police officers, who could keep a close watch on activities in brothels, and report details of any missing children found in these areas,” he said

Rajyalakshmi wants tough punishment for trafficking

Date:18/08/2007

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Special Correspondent

Minister admits to loopholes in the existing laws to deal with the offence
ATIENT HEARING: Women and Child Welfare Minister N. Rajyalakshmi interacting with children at a seminar in Hyderabad on Friday.

HYDERABAD: Women and Child Welfare Minister N. Rajyalakshmi stressed the need for severe punishment to those indulging in trafficking in women.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the South India consultation on “Standards of care for survivors of sex trafficking” here on Friday, Ms. Rajyalakshmi said that the State Government had not arrived at a decision on the quantum of punishment for trafficking but wanted to make it a deterrent measure. She admitted that there were bottlenecks in the existing laws to deal with the offence.

Issue to be addressed
The Minister promised to take a decision soon on how to tackle trafficking based on the outcome of the consultation. She said trafficking in women had assumed alarming proportions in the State. Gullible women and girls from the coastal districts fell victims to traffickers who ultimately made a fast buck without any investment.
Earlier, addressing the convention, Mrs. Rajyalakshmi informed the meeting that a comprehensive policy and an action plan was required to ensure that victims of commercial sex were not drawn to the trade again.

Quality material
Vasudha Misra, Secretary, Women and Child Welfare, said the Government hoped to get quality material from the deliberations so that it could straightaway implement it as a policy. She said the Government was eager to learn about the physical conditions that should be developed at homes where the victims were rehabilitated. They stood the danger of being re-trafficked if the homes were not comfortable or were deprived of psychological counselling. Sunita Krishnan of an NGO, ‘Prajwala,’ which co-hosted the event with the Women and Child Welfare Department said the minimum standards of care at rehabilitation centres were contemplated in the background of re-trafficking of victims.

Indian children rescued from human trafficking

WHO'S CHILD IS THIS
(poem started in Nagpur, India)

Who's child is this,
with the burn-scared face,
of a different race,
in this far of place?

Who's child is this,
who comes up to me,
with her childhood glee,
says, "Will you love me?"

Who's child is this,
who just wants to play,
living life today,
forgetting yesterday?

Who's child is this,
I turned and shed a tear,
it's been 2 years,
mother left her here.

Who's child is this,
Standing next to her brother,
Sold to others,
Betrayed by mother.

Who's child is this,
Hair could use a comb,
Never have a "normal" home,
Future is unknown.

Who's child is this,
Traded for a price,
Often has lice,Now knows Christ.

Who's child is this,
Once forced to do things,
Now stands and sings,
To her King of kings

By Darren

Trafficking: HC issues notice to CBI, Kapurthala SSP

NEWS
Trafficking: HC issues notice to CBI, Kapurthala SSP
Chandigarh, August 16: The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notices to the Criminal Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kapurthala, and nine others on a petition filed by three Punjab residents.
The petitioners have urged the Court to direct the CBI to hold an inquiry and register a case on charges of rape and Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act against six persons, who have been named in the petition.
The petitioners have also sought directions to the Kapurthala SSP to seal the premises of a hotel in Kapurthala so that the evidence in the case can be collected.
The petitioners have alleged that two Kapurthala residents, who own three hotels in the city, were using the hotels as a brothel. A woman, who sought employment in the hotel, and later came to know about this, has made the allegation. The petitioners have also alleged that the ‘sex racket’, which is going in the hotels, also involve certain senior Punjab government officials and bureaucrats.
After considering the allegations, the HC has issued notices to the CBI and the SSP’s office.

Study: Sex trafficking contributes to AIDS epidemic

Posted on Aug 16, 2007 by Erin Roach CHICAGO (BP)–Intervention to release sex-trafficked girls and women from forced prostitution may be an important strategy in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, according to a study released in August by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers called for strengthened efforts to prevent sex trafficking and to protect trafficking survivors after they found that victims of forced prostitution in India contributed to the HIV/AIDS epidemic when they were repatriated into their native country of Nepal.
“Currently, relatively few such efforts exist, and organizations that do engage in this work often lack adequate political or financial support,” the authors of the report from the Harvard School of Public Health wrote in reference to intervention work.
The study’s authors worked with a nongovernmental organization to examine the medical records of 287 girls and women who were rescued and repatriated after being sex-trafficked from Nepal to India between 1997 and 2005, and 38 percent of them tested positive for HIV. About 14 percent of the girls were trafficked before they were 15, and 60.6 percent of that age group was infected with HIV, researchers found.
Most victims were transported by people they knew on promises of domestic jobs or offers of marriage. Others were drugged and kidnapped. More than half of the girls and women were trafficked to Mumbai, the most populous city in India.
A decade ago, researchers said, international human rights organizations calculated that between 5,000 and 7,000 Nepalese girls and women were sex trafficked to India each year, and the study’s authors predicted that number has risen significantly because of recent civil conflict in Nepal.
India has about 2.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS, ranking third in the world behind South Africa and Nigeria. The U.S. State Department estimates that 800,000 people are trafficked worldwide each year, and 80 percent are women and girls. The Associated Press noted that 150,000 are trafficked annually across South Asia and most end up in major Indian cities.
“The high rates of HIV we have documented support concerns that sex trafficking may be a significant factor in both maintaining the HIV epidemic in India and in the expansion of this epidemic to its lower-prevalence neighbors,” Jay Silverman, an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and a lead author in the study, said.
Researchers found that individuals trafficked at 14 years or younger may be at greater risk for HIV infection, and girls trafficked before age 15 were more likely to be detained in brothels for one year or longer compared with those trafficked as adults.
The reasons they gave include the fact that brothel owners place an increased value on younger girls because male clients prefer them. That preference often is caused by a belief that sex with a virgin will prevent HIV infection and may even cure a man who already contracted the disease, the authors said.
“Demand from clients is consistently described as the major driver of sex trafficking and likely also underlies HIV infection and transmission among the survivors of this criminal enterprise,” the study said.
Also, young girls are less likely to negotiate the use of condoms during forced sex. Researchers said HIV-prevention approaches relying on prostituted girls to use condoms more regularly should be reconsidered.
“Approaches to HIV risk reduction that are oriented toward male clients, including reducing demand for sex from young prostituted girls, should receive greater emphasis,” the authors said.
Jeffrey Barrows, a medical consultant on health and human trafficking for the Christian Medical Association, said the link between sex-trafficking and the spread of HIV/AIDS is significant.
“Very few published medical studies to date have addressed this link, so this study is a real breakthrough that we hope will stimulate concrete action in our government and the public health community,” Barrows said in a statement Aug. 1. “This study should help U.S. and international government officials better recognize and emphasize the public health implications of human trafficking, and sex trafficking in particular.”
Barrows said sex trafficking intervention should be more strongly emphasized in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other AIDS-related programs.
“Anti-trafficking measures should be specifically and consistently emphasized in AIDS-related grant stipulations and proposal evaluations,” he said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is leading a nationwide effort to curb sex trafficking in the United States, where between 14,500 and 17,500 victims are brought into the country each year, according to the State Department.
In 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act became the first comprehensive federal law addressing the trafficking issue. The act established a T visa for rescued victims of trafficking, which allows them to become temporary U.S. residents. Prior to the act, many victims were eventually deported as illegal aliens.
Advocates, including the Christian Medical Association, are calling for the United States to take a stronger stance in reducing sex trafficking worldwide, and as the study suggests, slowing the spread of the AIDS epidemic.

The Indian Sex Industry: Perturbed, Pressured and Poignant

The Indian Sex Industry: Perturbed, Pressured and Poignant
Rachel Arora, merinews
15 August 2007, Wednesday
Views: 197 Comments: 1

The multimillion dollar sex industry in India is a boon for the masterminds running it. In the bargain for minting money what’s sidelined is the health and human rights of the workers who end up in the wallows of extreme poverty and social stigma.
A DARK GLOOM hovers over the red light area of New Delhi. Hundreds of women stare out of dingy pigeonholes with preening eyes. Who will be their next client, what will they experience and if here is a hope for them when they cross the age of 35 and experience the hatred and stigma pushed on them by society?

Most sex workers in the country are victims of poverty, guilt, sexually transmitted diseases and live a life that is worse than death. They succumb to dire circumstances and have no platform to voice their concerns. They are constantly subjugated to violence and abuse and their plight is never-ending.

Welcome to Kamathipura, a flourishing red light district in Mumbai. This is the hub of the AIDS epidemic in India which affects more than four and a half million people. Over 60,000 sex workers live in Kamathipura and more than 50 per cent of them are HIV positive.

The sex workers in these areas have been sold by their family members or have been tricked in the trade. Their lives lay barren and ragged. They are victims of the society as well as of those who use them for a few minutes of physical saturation. What goes unnoticed is the quandary and challenges faced by these women.

Chanda, a sex worker from Delhi says, “There are good times as well as bad ones. It entirely depends upon the kind of customer one is to get for the night. Sometimes we get Rs 100 for a night while on other occasions it may vary from Rs 75 to 250.”

The rates are higher if sex is offered to the client without a condom which often results in transmitting of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD). The rates are higher for younger girls who are the worst victims. Many of them have been trafficked from other countries while others have been sold by their own fathers and uncles.

Sitara tried to escape a number of times but gave up thinking about where she would go and what she would do. The families of these girls would not accept them as they are considered to be a stigma on society and they are left with barely any means to start living an earnest life.

Several workers become hostages when they are kidnapped unaware of the threats imposed on them. They are forced into the flesh trade and then brainwashed by the local pimps and Madams running the brothels. They have nowhere to go except for the sex industry, the only community that is ready to accept them.

Ram Prakash Rai, an activist with Savera foundation says, “After the sex workers have no means to generate revenue and are no longer in demand they have absolutely no means to earn a livelihood. Taking this into account we provide them with vocational trainings and help them stand on their feet. We motivate them to start their own businesses and encourage them to become activists.”

“The Police are the biggest gundas”, Says Manju. “They catch us and then demand we have sex with them in order to pay them off for our release.”

Several debated and moralistic arguments have been given to favour and oppose legitimizing sex work in India. According to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), sex work is not illegal. It is the trafficking of women and children for the purpose of making them sex workers, violence and abuse that are illegal. The law does not prohibit anyone from having sex for money, what is prohibited is living off the income of a sex worker and pleading in public for sex work.

It is not the red light districts that carry an aura of lamentation, but it is about the increase in AIDS victims that has caused a ripple in the already troubled waters of sex trade in India. It has become necessary for introducing sex workers with their rights and values. One cannot condemn or look down upon them simply because they are part of the flesh trade. After all, who victimizes them? Clients visiting these red light areas are often businessmen, fathers, husbands and lovers. They need to see a bigger picture which exposes them to the realities of life.

In the Kamasutra, as explained by Vatsayana, prostitution was not considered disgraceful. Every prostitute was prized by her lover and had a code of conduct she needed to adhere too. She enjoyed a position of power and could refuse her lover at her will.

In the days of the Nawabs, Lucknow’s prostitutes were regarded as those possessing high intellect and manners. They were especially appointed to impart etiquette training to the sons and daughters of the rich Nawabs.

Today, the industry’s commercialization and ruthlessness has degenerated its social appearance. It is covered with the grime of lust, ravage and has become a crude form of soul trade. It is important for us to address the myths and whims associated with sex workers and we need to wake up as a nation to fend ourselves from the clutches of ignorance.

The red light district of Kolkata has the lowest AIDS rate in the country. This is the outcome of various organizations that have come to the rescue of the sex workers there. The use of the condom needs to be made essential for the sex workers. They have the power to refuse their client if he insists on unprotected sex. But the biggest plight faced by the workers is lack of awareness and no means to access their rights.

The India sex industry needs a revolution. It needs to be re created by introducing rights for the welfare of sex workers and their families. Their interests need to be safeguarded and the implementation of rights needs to be looked into.

There are thousands of stories that need to be heard. The heart wrenching difficulties and humiliation suffered by the sex workers needs attention. What we mustn’t forget is that even they are human beings and have the right to a dignified life. If someone falls prey to unfortunate circumstances, is it correct on our part to make them criminals

Victims of human trafficking need empathy’

Date:24/07/2007

Andhra Pradesh - Warangal

Staff Reporter
Warangal Collector calls for stern action against traffickers
WARANGAL: District Collector K. Damayanthi has exhorted policemen to adopt empathetic attitude towards women who have fallen victim to human trafficking.
“The fault lies with traffickers who lure innocent girls and hapless women into the world’s oldest profession as none on her own will get into it,” she pointed out.
Inaugurating a two-day orientation programme on anti-human trafficking for policemen at the District Police Office here on Monday, the Collector told the policemen to deal sternly with the traffickers. When the policemen raided brothel houses, the women moved to other places thus spreading the trade from one place to another.
“If we can offer a solution to their problems or can provide them rehabilitation, it will be good. Otherwise, we better not to disturb them. Indeed, we should prevent trafficking,” she pointed out.‘Book cases’
Addressing the participants, DIG, Warangal Range, K. Laxman Mohan, asked the police personnel to book the human traffickers under Preventive Detention Act. He wanted them to identify the traffickers in their respective police station limits.
Superintendent of Police Soumya Mishra said they would henceforth try to provide suitable rehabilitation to prostitutes in the district with the cooperation of other Government agencies

International Framework of Laws and Issues Related to Trafficking
Trafficking of human beings is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people for the purpose of exploitation. Trafficking involves a process of using illicit means such as threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability.Exploitation includes forcing people into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. For children exploitation may include also, illicit international adoption, trafficking for early marriage, recruitment as child soldiers, for begging or for sports (such as child camel jockeys or football players).[1]
From Himalayan villages to Eastern European cities, people - especially women and girls - are attracted by the prospect of a well-paid job as a domestic servant, waitress or factory worker. Traffickers recruit victims through fake advertisements, mail-order bride catalogues and casual acquaintances.Trafficking in human beings is a global phenomenon”
Upon arrival at their destination, victims are placed in conditions controlled by traffickers while they are exploited to earn illicit revenues. Many are physically confined, their travel or identity documents are taken away and they or their families are threatened if they do not cooperate. Women and girls forced to work as prostitutes are blackmailed by the threat that traffickers will tell their families. Trafficked children are dependent on their traffickers for food, shelter and other basic necessities. Traffickers also play on victims' fears that authorities in a foreign country will prosecute or deport them if they ask for help.
Trafficking in human beings is a global issue, but a lack of systematic research means that reliable data on the trafficking of human beings that would allow comparative analyses and the design of countermeasures is scarce. There is a need to strengthen the criminal justice response to trafficking through legislative reform, awareness-raising and training, as well as through national and international cooperation. The support and protection of victims who give evidence is key to prosecuting the ringleaders behind the phenomenon.The trafficking of Human beings is a matter of global concern as it involves the violation of fundamental rights. Although numerous seperate abuses that contravene both national and international law are committed during the course of trafficking, it is the combination of the victim's displacement from their community and their commercialsied exploitation that makes traficking distinct. Their is a large body of interantional and national instruments like declarations,conventions and prohibiting trafficking. An overview of selected Internationakl conventrions that regulate trafficking is presented below.
The United Nations obligates States to refrain from committing human rights violations and also to take positive steps to ensure that individuals are able to enjoy their human rights. A State's legal obligations are articulated in human rights instruments, such as treaties and conventions. The UN also drafts politically-binding documents that do not have the force of law, such as declarations and resolutions, but which nevertheless represent important guidelines on States' obligations. More information about the United Nations system, human rights documents and enforcement mechanisms can be accessed from the International Law section of this site.
The United Nations addresses trafficking in women from various directions. First, the UN human rights instruments apply to women and men equally, and are relevant to the kinds of abuses that women suffer in cases of trafficking. In addition, the UN international standards on the treatment of crime victims also obligate States to protect victims of trafficking.
Second, of the types of violence against women addressed by this site, trafficking in women was perhaps the first to receive the attention of the UN as a transnational crime. This section, therefore, includes a historical overview of the UN conceptualization of trafficking, prior to the emergence of an international women's human rights movement.
Third, the UN treaties and resolutions that articulate the rights of women are applicable to the situation of trafficking and define trafficking as a form of gender-based violence. Since the early 1990's, all major UN instruments on States' commitment to ensure women the full enjoyment of their human rights and their protection from violence have included specific obligations to combat trafficking in women.
Fourth, the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime entered into force in September 2003. The accompanying Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children received its 40th ratification in September 2003 and entered into force on December 25, 2003. The Trafficking Protocol contains the international consensus definition of trafficking and sets forth State obligations to prevent trafficking, to protect victims and to prosecute perpetrators of trafficking. For more information on the Trafficking Protocol, please see the section entitled The Trafficking Protocol and Recent Initiatives.
Finally, at its 60th session in April of 2004 the United Nations Commission on Human Rights appointed a Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children for the explicit purpose of focusing on the human rights of victims of trafficking. To do so, the rapporteurâ??s job is to gather and exchange information from governments, non-governmental organizations and victims of trafficking in order to propose appropriate measures to prevent and remedy trafficking violations. Working within the major international instruments and definitions of trafficking, the Special Rapporteur will conduct country visits, publish reports, and take up cases where individual or widespread rights abuses have occurred.
States are obligated to protect the rights of trafficking victims under general human rights instruments. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees women the right to life, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to security of person. This Covenant also grants trafficked persons the right to an effective remedy for acts violating their fundamental human rights. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provides such basic guarantees as the right to an adequate standard of living (including food, clothing and housing), the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, the right to education and the right to favorable work conditions, which includes fair wages, equal pay for equal work and reasonable limitation of working hours.
International agreements relating to forced labor and slavery are also relevant to trafficking practices. The International Labor Organizations Forced Labor Convention (C29) and the Abolition of Forced Labor Convention (C105) set forth the obligation to suppress all forms of forced or compulsory labor, defined by the Forced Labor Convention as “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily.” The Abolition of Forced Labor Convention defines forced labor as a means of racial, social, national or religious discrimination, but does not mention the possibility of sexual discrimination. The UN Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery (1956) defines slavery as the condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised. The Slavery Convention abolishes the practice of debt bondage where the debtors services are not reasonably applied to the liquidation of his or her debts (Article 1), the practice of promising or giving in marriage on payment a women who is not given the right to refuse (Article 1), and the act or attempt of conveying slaves from one country to another (Article 3).
Under principles of international law, States are obligated to provide adequate support for victims of crimes. The United Nations Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power states that victims are entitled to access the justice system and prompt redress. (Paragraph 4). Regarding assistance, the Declaration states “Victims should receive the necessary material, medical, psychological and social assistance through governmental, voluntary, community-based and indigenous means. . . . Victims should be informed of the availability of health and social services and other relevant assistance and be readily afforded access to them.” (Paragraphs 14, 15).
1. International Agreement for the supression of the whilte slave traffick - 1904.
The agreement was formulated with the intensioon of securing fo women of full age who have suffered abuse or compulsion against criminal trafic know as the white slave trade.
2. International convention dor the suppression of the white slave Trafic 1910.
This convention criminalised the procuremnt enticemnt or leading away of women or girl under the ager of 21, even with her consent for imormal purose irrespective of whether may have been committed in different countries.
3.. International convention for the supression of Traffic in women and children 1921.
This tretu pf a wp,em pt girlfor immoral purpos, to be caried out in another country.
4. Slavery covention 1926
States parties are enjoyed to discourage all forms of forced labout slavery means the owner's control over another person, without the slves's full informed consent for exploitation.
5.Forced Labour Covention (ILO) 1930.
Article-1 of this convention cals for the suppression of the use of forced or compulsory labour in al its forms as soon as possible.
6.International convention for the suppression of the Traffic in women of full Age 2933.
This coventrion imposes a duty on the signing countries to prohibit, prevent prosecute and /m or puish those
engaged.
7.Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
Article 4 of the Declaration prohibits slavery and the slav trade. Article - 13 recognises the right of persons
to freedom of movement and residence. While Article is recognises every one's right to Nationality.
8. Unconvention for the suppression of the traffic in persons and of the exploitation of the prostitution of others
(1949).
This convention is a compilation of four prvious international convention 1904, 1910, 1921 and 1933. It made provurement, enticement, etc for prostitution punishable, irrespective of the age of the person involved and his/her consent to the same (Article -1). Brothel keeping was also denounced as illegal and punishable Article 20. However, it is limited to traficking for prostitution and related activities.
9.Supplementary convention on the Abolition of slvery, the slave trade, and institutions and practices similar and to slavery 1956 (slavery convention).
This convention condemned a variety of slavery - like practices, including debt bondage and forced marriage, states parties underlock to establish suitable mininmum ages of marriages and encourage the registration os marriages.
10.Abolition of forced Labour convention (ILO) 1957.
Under this convention, states parties under took to abolish any form of forced or compulsor labour that is used as a means to establish political coecion, economic develoment, labout discipline or racial, social, National or religious discrimination.
11.International convenant on civil political Rights (1966)
Forced labour and slavery are prohibited by article of the covenant. Article 24 outlines the rights of children to a just and free childhood.
12.international convention on Economic social and cultural Rights (ICESCR0) 1966
Article 10 of this convention stipulates that states are responsible for protecting children are responsible for protecting children arom exploitation and must lay down the minimim age for their employment.
13.Minimum aghe convention 1973
The aim of this convention was to prohibit abn d regulaten child Labour and restrict the engagement of childrn in hazardous work.
14.Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (1979) (CEDAW)
ARTICLE:6 OF CEDAW requires state parties to take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to suppress all forms of traffick in women.
15.United Nations convention against Torture and other cruel; inhuman or Degrading treatment or punishment (1984)
The convention provides against the expulsion or return of a person another state if there are substantial grounds for deeming him/her to be in danger of torture. Victim compensation measures are also stipulate in it.
16.Tourism Bill of rights and the Tourist code (1985)
Adopted by the WTO, the code enjoins that state parties should preclude any posibility of the use of tourism to exploit others for the purpose of prostitution.
17.Convention on the rights of the child (1989)
Article:11 Requires state parties to take measures to combat the illicit transfer and Non-return of children abroad under Article 34 and 35, State parties must take appropiriate National,. bilateral and multilateral steps to protect children from all dforms of sexual exploitation and abuse and also prevent the ebuduction, alse and trafficking of children.
18. Covention on the protection of the Rights of migrant workers (1990).
This covention seeks tyo put on end to the illegal or clndestine recuirtment and traficking of migrant workers and lays down binding International standatds for their treatment. welfare and human rights.
19. The ILO covention the worst forms of child Labour (1999)
Article 3 of this convention defines the worst forms of child labour as comprising of all manifestations of slavery or practices similar ro slvery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, ddebt bondage and servitude and forces or compulsory labour, etc.,
20. Optional protocol to the convention on the Elimination of All forms of discrimination against women (1999).
The protocol enables individuals or groups who have exhausted National remedies to directly aproach the committee set up by the protocol to gain redressal for their grivances
21. UN protocol to prevent, supports abnd punish Traffficking in persons, Especially women and children (2000)
The UN Trafficking protocol seeks to create a global language to define trafficking in perosn. Especially wopmen and children, asist victims of traffickingg of persons. It supplements the united Nations convention Against Transnational organised Crime 2000.
22. Optional protocol to the convention on the rights of the child on the sale of children, child on the sale of
childtren, child prostitution and child pornography 2002 (The sex Trafficking protocol).
This protocol, adapted in May 2003, seks to raise the standards for protectiong children from al forms of sexual exploitation and abuse.
23. Recommended principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficiking (2002)
These standsards were developed by the High commission for Human Rights in 2002, so as to strengthen the Human Rights principle and perspective of the Trafficking. Protocol. The document recommende 17 principles and 11 fuidelines which are meant to facilitate the efective implmentation of the key provisions.
REGIONAL INSTRUMENTS:
At the regional level, there have been several initiatives by the governments of the south Asia and Asia pacific regions ler us see them.
i The Regional intiative agaist Trafficking in women (1998).
ii Asian Regional intiative against Traficiking in persons, especialy, women and children (ARiat) 200,
iii. ASEM (Asia Europe Meeting) Action plan to combat Trafficking in persons especially woment and children 2 2000,
iv Bali conference Trafficking in persons and Relkated Transnational Crime 2002.
v. SAARC convention on preventing and combating the Trafficking in women and children for prostitution 20002.
vi. Convention on Regional arrancgement for the promtion of child welfare 2002.
OTHER INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE
1. World conference on Human Rights 1993. Vienna, Austris
This confernce took therights of women and children by supporting the creation oif New mechanisms and advocating the unverasl ratification of the convention on the Rights of the child by the year 1995.
2. world congress against the commercial sexual Expploitation of children (1996).
The aims of the world congress were to award high priority and adequate resources dfor action against the commercial exploitation of children.
3.Amsterdam conclusion and also conference (1997)
The conference affirmed that, in orders to eliminate the exploitation of children, poverty eradication and rehabilitation programmes Need to be developed, along with a sound Mechanism to Monitor their progress.
4. The Honolulu Declaration (2002).
This declaration recognise the Need to adres the structural casues of traficking and the forms of exploitation and poverty at it roots. The mobiliasation of a broad coliation was encisaged bringing together concerned agencies organisations and inddividuals to conbat trafficking at the local, National, Regional and International levels.
5. Brussels Declaration on preventing and combating the trafficking in Human Beings (2002).
The Brussels Declaration aims at bringing about European and International co-operation against trafficking for developing concrete measure, standards, best practices assistance and police and Judicial co-operation.
LEGAL FRAME WORK AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN SOUTH ASIAN COUNTRIES:
BANGLADESH:
The Bangladesh constitution gurantees equal rights and equal protection to every one regardless of gender. The fundamental principles of state policy require the state to prevent prostitution. Article 34(1) prohibits all forms of forced labour. The supression of immoral Traffic Act 1933, protects all children up to the age of 18 from sexual exploitation. The women and children repression ;prevention Act 2000 provides stringent penalties against trafficking, Kidnapping, collection random, rape, the sexual exploitation etc., These provisions also apply to both internal and cross broder trafficking. These were the some of the legal frame work in Bangladesh Against Human Trafficking.
BHUTAN:
Thjere is very little information availaqble on the laws of. Bhutan on traficking. In 2001, the UN committe on the Rights of the child considered Bhutan's initial report and noted the absence of legislation on the minimum age of for employment. Their is insufficient data and awarness regarding the Human Trafficking. It also suggested that New laws Need to be promulgated and existing lawa need to be suitably ammended to address these issues.
MALDIVES:
There is no specific law to prohibit or prevent the trafficking in persons. There are no reports of persons being trafficked to from or within the country following Nationwide consultations, the Gopvernment has drawn up a National plan of action on the basis of the Beijing platform for action and the common wealth plan of Action on Gender and Development.
NEPAL:
The constitution of Nepal enshrines the principles of equality and Justice for every citizen witout any discrimination on the basis of race, caste, sex, creed, etc., and safe Guards the human rights of all citizens. The Mulkuki ASin (code of law) 1963. lays down provisions againstInter-state and oher of slavery and domestic trafficking-section decres prison sentences of 20 years for International trafficking and 10 years for attempted sale, plus fines eqalent to the amount of transaction.
The Human Trafficking (control) Actr of 1986. (HTCA) establishes territorial jurisdication for offences committed outside Nepal. Trafficking in Human being (control) Bill 2000 that holds voluntary engagement in sex work as a violation of human rights. Moreover, such a view is likely to tivilaise the serious violations that are committed during trafficking. Further, the anti traficiking lawa in Nepal do not provide for integration or rehabilitation with rescue.
PAKISTAN:
One of pakistan's major problems is the smugling of children to countries in Gulf for camel Jockey an racing. The high profits and the lessening fear of harsh punishment have bolstered syndicates of Human traffickers across “Asia, the middle east and Europe.
The prevention and ocntrol of Human Trafficking ordinance 2002 has been promulgated to deal with all types of human trafficking. It is a comprehensive legislation and is the first iof irs kind in the saarc region. However the ligislation sufers from certain limitations. Also legislation is focused on trans border trafficking and not on domestic trafficking. And the Human trafficking ordinance 2002 defines Human trafficking to include traffickingfor any purpose, viz, prostitution Forced labour and services. It also takes into considerations the organised nature of the crime and presmes the vicarious liability of each member of the traffickers's group by providing for stringergent punishments, the ordinance also includes provisions for the compensations for the victims.
SRILANKA:
IN country trafficking is one of srilanka's major problems s.360 of the srilankan penal code deals with the offfence of traficking defined as the act of buying or seeling or barteting of any person for money or for any other consideration. Those assisting, arranging tyhe travel, recruiting, etc., Said to be traficking and be prostituted.
The national child protection Authority act is a landmart initiative that can help in preventing child abuse and in protecting child abuse and in protecting the rights of children.
INDIA:
The constitution of India, under Article 23(1), prohibits trafficking in hunman beings and forced labour =, this right enforceable against the state and private citizens.
i. The suppressions of immoral Trafic in women and Girls Act (SITA) was enacted under Article 35 of the Indian constitution with the objectieve of abolishing Trafficking it was also pursuance of the UN's trafficking convention which India signed on 9 May 1950.
ii The immoral Traffic (prevention) Act 1956.
Is a special legislation that deals exclusively with trafficking.
iii. The bonded labour system (Abolition0 ct 1976 defines the terms advance agreement ascendant or descendant bonded debt' 'babnded labour” bonded labour system and provides for initiating appropriate action.
iv. Chil;d labour (prohibition and Rgulation Act 1986.
v. The indian Evidence Act 1872 contains s114 AND 151 that are relavent in the context of trafficking.
vi. The two - fold objectieve of the Transportation of Human organ Act 1994.
(a) To provide for the regultion of removal, storage and transplantation of Human organs for therapeutic
purpose and
(b) To prevent commercial dealings in human beings.
however, trafficking was never definde in Indian laws except in the Goa children Act, which is specified to the state of Goa. In India the law has no express provision for confiscating the assets amased by the traffickers, nor does it have provisions for the victim protection. These points should be considered by the concerned authorities so that the laws and provisions are made victim friendly.