Friday, September 16, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Shelters turn dump yards for minor girls
June 26: State homes run by the Women and Child Welfare Department are meant to protect vulnerable women, impart some useful skill and rehabilitate women back into society. Thanks to the callousness of parents and society at large their mandate is being stretched to the limit and they are sheltering girls and women who have been thrown out like so much garbage by their cruel families. A large number of inmates of these homes are girls who married without their parents’ consent and before they reached the legal aid of consent and have been brought here after their parents filed complaints. Andhra Pradesh continues to top the list of states with large numbers of child marriages. An increasing number of parents are making use of the law to break up the ‘love’ marriages of their underage daughters and pack them off to the state homes by calling in the police. As a result, a number of child brides, some of whom have children, will stay here till they attain 18 years of age. Interestingly most of them are waiting till they can go back to their husbands. “My parents were unhappy with my marriage as I married a Muslim man. My parents are not willing to take me back, and though my husband wants me, I cannot go back to him. My parents will take some extreme step I fear,” says Shivangi (name changed), now 18 and living in one such state-run home in Hyderabad. Shivangi has a 10-month-old son and has been attending lace-making and tailoring classes at the centre. After finishing her course, she wants to move on and set up her own business somewhere here. Shivangi eloped with a neighbour after she passed class six two years ago. She has been through a lot; she was forcibly taken to a juvenile home from where she came to the state-run home, delivered a baby, and is now forced to remain in this state home in Yousufguda because of the case booked by her parents. “They had asked for their daughter to be given protection since she was a minor,” said the authorities at the state home. Vaishali (name changed) from Nalgonda district married a boy from a lower caste when she was 15 years old. After her parents lodged a complaint with the police that she is a minor, the police had taken her to the juvenile home. She now has a one-month-old son and has just turned 18. Threatened by her parents she, too, is in two minds about what she should do now. While state-run homes are traditionally meant for rescued women and abandoned children, there are more child brides here at any given point of time than there are other kinds of women. Also to be found in state run homes are victims of the prostitution mafia, orphans, beggars and mentally unstable women found wandering the roads. Ms Shivaparvathy, assistant director of the Women and Child Welfare Department, says 99 per cent of women rescued from the flesh trade are taken back by their families as most of them are pushed into the trade by their own family members. “We give them vocational training while they are at the state homes but, sadly, many of them keep coming back as their families force them into the flesh trade again. Of every 10 such rescued victims, seven return to the trade while two or three come back to state homes,”she says. According to the data available with the Department, around 50 per cent of women and child victims of trafficking belong to scheduled castes and 30 per cent belong to other backward castes. The districts where this shameful practice is rampant are Nalgonda, Chittoor, Guntur, Khammam and Anantpur. Those who land up in the government homes are given some sort of vocational training and sent back to their parental homes within six months to one year. But if they are not welcome there, they may continue to stay at the state home for three to four years. At any given point of time, there are between 500-600 women in Swadhar Centres, state homes and Ujjwala shelters across the state. About 150-200 abandoned children live in state homes and Sishu vihars across the state. The children are mostly abandoned by unwed mothers or by parents and relatives if they are HIV/AIDS positive, or mentally challenged. About 60 percent of abandoned children are females. The callousness of parents is such that often they refuse to take back their lost or abandoned children. S. Lakshmi (name changed) was brought up in a juvenile home in the city and after attaining 18 years of age, she was shifted to the state home. Her parents were traced when she was living in the juvenile home but they had refused to take her back because she was a girl. Juvenile homes may provide some shelter but they are no substitute for a caring family. Lakshmi has lost interest in learning anything, shows symptoms of mental retardation and does not want to go anywhere. She has been staying at the state home for the last five years, though the normal period an inmate is allowed to stay and train is two years. The appalling brutality towards women and children continues despite numerous laws introduced to stop it. Poor implementation of the law combined with the backwardness of our society and way of thinking causes millions of women and children to suffer a hopeless existence.
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Sunday, June 26, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
India ratifies UN protocol against human trafficking
3 million females, 40% of them minors, trafficked in India every year
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 19
Close on the heels being placed on the US human trafficking Tier 2 watchlist that names countries not doing enough to curb human smuggling, India has ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its three protocols, including one to combat trafficking in persons.
The Convention remains, by far, the most potent international instrument in the fight against transnational organised crime. Currently, human trafficking is the third largest organised crime in the world after the narcotics trade and illicit arms trading. Together, these crimes generate annual revenue of $ 9.5 billion, with the share of human trafficking gradually rising.
For India, the development is significant considering it took 12 years to ratify the Convention, which is supplemented by protocols to combat human trafficking; migrant smuggling and illicit trafficking in firearms. The fact that India has ratified the ‘Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children’ means the country would now have to evolve a comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that conforms to international standards and provisions. Right now, the laws are unclear.
It would also have to find ways to train law enforcers who continue to book trafficked women under the provisions of Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, rather than booking them under provisions of the law which would see them as “victims” and not “offenders”. The National Human Rights Commission says only 6.6 per cent of the country’s law enforcers have any kind of training in trafficking issues.
If that was less, the Ministry of Women and Child Development estimates that around 3 million women are annually trafficked in India for various purposes - domestic to sex work - and 40 per cent of these are minors.
Most rescued victims currently have little access to rehabilitation and care, which means even after being freed, they run the risk of getting back to brothels. A woman caught under the ITPA for example is required to pay a fine to walk free. Because she has no money, her brothel owner walks in again promising to rescue her from jail provided she agrees to return to sex work.
CRPF Additional Director General Police (Operations) PM Nair, who has worked on trafficking issues, said the training of law enforcers was a must. Also, the government is now legally bound by the Convention to look at both prevention and protection issues.
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 19
Close on the heels being placed on the US human trafficking Tier 2 watchlist that names countries not doing enough to curb human smuggling, India has ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its three protocols, including one to combat trafficking in persons.
The Convention remains, by far, the most potent international instrument in the fight against transnational organised crime. Currently, human trafficking is the third largest organised crime in the world after the narcotics trade and illicit arms trading. Together, these crimes generate annual revenue of $ 9.5 billion, with the share of human trafficking gradually rising.
For India, the development is significant considering it took 12 years to ratify the Convention, which is supplemented by protocols to combat human trafficking; migrant smuggling and illicit trafficking in firearms. The fact that India has ratified the ‘Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children’ means the country would now have to evolve a comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that conforms to international standards and provisions. Right now, the laws are unclear.
It would also have to find ways to train law enforcers who continue to book trafficked women under the provisions of Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, rather than booking them under provisions of the law which would see them as “victims” and not “offenders”. The National Human Rights Commission says only 6.6 per cent of the country’s law enforcers have any kind of training in trafficking issues.
If that was less, the Ministry of Women and Child Development estimates that around 3 million women are annually trafficked in India for various purposes - domestic to sex work - and 40 per cent of these are minors.
Most rescued victims currently have little access to rehabilitation and care, which means even after being freed, they run the risk of getting back to brothels. A woman caught under the ITPA for example is required to pay a fine to walk free. Because she has no money, her brothel owner walks in again promising to rescue her from jail provided she agrees to return to sex work.
CRPF Additional Director General Police (Operations) PM Nair, who has worked on trafficking issues, said the training of law enforcers was a must. Also, the government is now legally bound by the Convention to look at both prevention and protection issues.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
वेश्यांच्या पुनर्वसनासाठी आंध्रप्रदेशचे अनुकरण महाराष्ट्राने करावे - भागवत
वेश्यांच्या पुनर्वसनासाठी आंध्रप्रदेशचे अनुकरण महाराष्ट्राने करावे - भागवत
नगर, २७ मार्च/प्रतिनिधी
मागील ५ वर्षांत आंध्रप्रदेशने महिला व बालकांच्या अनैतिक वाहतुकीस प्रभावी प्रतिबंध केला आहे. वेश्या व त्यांच्या मुलांच्या पुनर्वसनासाठी राज्य सरकारने इच्छाशक्ती दाखवून विविध सरकारी विभागांमध्ये समन्वय निर्माण केला. याबाबतीत आंध्रप्रदेशचे अनुकरण महाराष्ट्राने करायला हवे, असे मत आंध्रप्रदेशातील पोलीस उपमहानिरीक्षक व नगरचे सुपुत्र महेश भागवत यांनी केले.
स्नेहालय परिवारातर्फे श्री. भागवत यांचा नागरी सत्कार करण्यात आला. त्यावेळी ते बोलत होते. नगर जिल्ह्य़ातील ३ हजार शोषित महिलांचा प्रश्न सध्या ऐरणीवर आला आहे. या पाश्र्वभूमीवर श्री. भागवत यांनी या शोषित महिलांशी संवाद साधला. स्नेहालयच्या विश्वस्त मीनाताई शिंदे, संगीता शेलार, हसीना शेख यांनी महिलांच्या व्यथा मांडल्या. पोलिसांकडून जिल्ह्य़ातील २४०० महिलांवर वारंवार गुन्हे दाखल केले गेल्याने त्यांची ससेहोलपट होत आहे. पर्यायी रोजगार नाही, हक्काची जागा नाही यामुळे अनेक महिलांनी पुणे, नाशिक, औरंगाबाद, बीड व मुंबईकडे पलायन केले आहे. त्यामुळे या महिलांच्या आरोग्याचा प्रश्न बिकट बनला आहे. त्यांच्या मुलांचे शिक्षण, बचतगट चळवळ अडचणीत आली आहे.
श्री. भागवत यांनी आंध्रप्रदेशमध्ये वेश्यांच्या पुनर्वसनासाठी राबवलेल्या ‘आसरा’ प्रकल्पाची माहिती दिली. आंध्रमध्ये कायद्याचा दंडुका वेश्यांवर नव्हे तर कुंटणखाना चालक, मालक, दलाल, ग्राहक यांच्यावर उगारला जातो, असे सांगून ते म्हणाले की, अनैतिक मानवी वाहतूक प्रतिबंधक कायद्यातील कलम ७ व ८ देहव्यापारातील बळी महिलांना अकारण गुन्हेगार ठरवतात. या कलमानुसार सार्वजनिक ठिकाणी देहव्यापार करणे प्रतिबंधित आहे. परंतु या दोन कलमांमुळे शोषित महिला पुन्हा दलालांच्या गुलामीत पडतात. त्यामुळे आंध्रप्रदेशने या कलमांचा वापर बंद करून वेश्यांना दिलासा दिला आहे. महाराष्ट्रात मात्र या दोन कलमांचा वापर होत असल्याने महिलांचे जीवन असुरक्षित झाले आहे. या संदर्भात धोरण बदलवण्यासाठी राज्य सरकारशी संवाद साधावा लागेल.
आंध्रप्रदेशमध्ये सुटका केलेल्या मुली व महिलांना वेलकम कीट व रोख ५ हजार रूपये त्वरित दिले जातात. त्यामुळे पोलीस कारवाईनंतरची लाचारी व भीती टळते. अनेक महिलांच्या पुनर्वसनाचे अनुभव त्यांनी सांगितले. स्नेहालयाच्या अनेक प्रकल्पांना श्री. भागवत यांनी भेट दिली
नगर, २७ मार्च/प्रतिनिधी
मागील ५ वर्षांत आंध्रप्रदेशने महिला व बालकांच्या अनैतिक वाहतुकीस प्रभावी प्रतिबंध केला आहे. वेश्या व त्यांच्या मुलांच्या पुनर्वसनासाठी राज्य सरकारने इच्छाशक्ती दाखवून विविध सरकारी विभागांमध्ये समन्वय निर्माण केला. याबाबतीत आंध्रप्रदेशचे अनुकरण महाराष्ट्राने करायला हवे, असे मत आंध्रप्रदेशातील पोलीस उपमहानिरीक्षक व नगरचे सुपुत्र महेश भागवत यांनी केले.
स्नेहालय परिवारातर्फे श्री. भागवत यांचा नागरी सत्कार करण्यात आला. त्यावेळी ते बोलत होते. नगर जिल्ह्य़ातील ३ हजार शोषित महिलांचा प्रश्न सध्या ऐरणीवर आला आहे. या पाश्र्वभूमीवर श्री. भागवत यांनी या शोषित महिलांशी संवाद साधला. स्नेहालयच्या विश्वस्त मीनाताई शिंदे, संगीता शेलार, हसीना शेख यांनी महिलांच्या व्यथा मांडल्या. पोलिसांकडून जिल्ह्य़ातील २४०० महिलांवर वारंवार गुन्हे दाखल केले गेल्याने त्यांची ससेहोलपट होत आहे. पर्यायी रोजगार नाही, हक्काची जागा नाही यामुळे अनेक महिलांनी पुणे, नाशिक, औरंगाबाद, बीड व मुंबईकडे पलायन केले आहे. त्यामुळे या महिलांच्या आरोग्याचा प्रश्न बिकट बनला आहे. त्यांच्या मुलांचे शिक्षण, बचतगट चळवळ अडचणीत आली आहे.
श्री. भागवत यांनी आंध्रप्रदेशमध्ये वेश्यांच्या पुनर्वसनासाठी राबवलेल्या ‘आसरा’ प्रकल्पाची माहिती दिली. आंध्रमध्ये कायद्याचा दंडुका वेश्यांवर नव्हे तर कुंटणखाना चालक, मालक, दलाल, ग्राहक यांच्यावर उगारला जातो, असे सांगून ते म्हणाले की, अनैतिक मानवी वाहतूक प्रतिबंधक कायद्यातील कलम ७ व ८ देहव्यापारातील बळी महिलांना अकारण गुन्हेगार ठरवतात. या कलमानुसार सार्वजनिक ठिकाणी देहव्यापार करणे प्रतिबंधित आहे. परंतु या दोन कलमांमुळे शोषित महिला पुन्हा दलालांच्या गुलामीत पडतात. त्यामुळे आंध्रप्रदेशने या कलमांचा वापर बंद करून वेश्यांना दिलासा दिला आहे. महाराष्ट्रात मात्र या दोन कलमांचा वापर होत असल्याने महिलांचे जीवन असुरक्षित झाले आहे. या संदर्भात धोरण बदलवण्यासाठी राज्य सरकारशी संवाद साधावा लागेल.
आंध्रप्रदेशमध्ये सुटका केलेल्या मुली व महिलांना वेलकम कीट व रोख ५ हजार रूपये त्वरित दिले जातात. त्यामुळे पोलीस कारवाईनंतरची लाचारी व भीती टळते. अनेक महिलांच्या पुनर्वसनाचे अनुभव त्यांनी सांगितले. स्नेहालयाच्या अनेक प्रकल्पांना श्री. भागवत यांनी भेट दिली
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Police told to crack down on human trafficking
By Express News Service
03 Apr 2011 03:51:45 AM IST
HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh tops in human trafficking which in turn is spreading the deadly HIV and the police have to play an active role in checking the trafficking, additional commissioner of police (Traffic) CV Anand has said. He was speaking at the police sensitisation programme on HIV/Aids jointly organised by the state police and the AP State Aids Control Society here yesterday.
He exhorted police officials to curb trafficking in woman with an iron hand and spread awareness among the police personnel as well as the people.
“The Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act (1956) helps us to raid and arrest women, who are involved in running and luring the minors into the flesh trade.
After paying a fine, these women are released and go back to the same trade. We have to coordinate with the media and the health department to provide proper medical assistance to them,’’ Anand said. He called upon the police officials to strictly enforce the Act.
Police personnel and the people should not look down upon or discriminate against persons with HIV-AIDS. He directed the police personnel to take stern action against persons resorting to trafficking in women and organisers of brothel houses. Joint commissioner of police (administration) Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagawat said they have trained as many as 4,800 policemen in the state to prevent human trafficking. He said they would develop core trainers to work on the issue.
Kailashditya, joint director, AP State Aids Control Society, speaking on the occasion said the state also tops in HIV positive cases in the country.
03 Apr 2011 03:51:45 AM IST
HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh tops in human trafficking which in turn is spreading the deadly HIV and the police have to play an active role in checking the trafficking, additional commissioner of police (Traffic) CV Anand has said. He was speaking at the police sensitisation programme on HIV/Aids jointly organised by the state police and the AP State Aids Control Society here yesterday.
He exhorted police officials to curb trafficking in woman with an iron hand and spread awareness among the police personnel as well as the people.
“The Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act (1956) helps us to raid and arrest women, who are involved in running and luring the minors into the flesh trade.
After paying a fine, these women are released and go back to the same trade. We have to coordinate with the media and the health department to provide proper medical assistance to them,’’ Anand said. He called upon the police officials to strictly enforce the Act.
Police personnel and the people should not look down upon or discriminate against persons with HIV-AIDS. He directed the police personnel to take stern action against persons resorting to trafficking in women and organisers of brothel houses. Joint commissioner of police (administration) Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagawat said they have trained as many as 4,800 policemen in the state to prevent human trafficking. He said they would develop core trainers to work on the issue.
Kailashditya, joint director, AP State Aids Control Society, speaking on the occasion said the state also tops in HIV positive cases in the country.
Friday, March 18, 2011
16 abducted baby girls rescued from brothels in MP
16 abducted baby girls rescued from brothels in MP
Suchandana Gupta, TNN | Mar 18, 2011, 12.44am IST
BHOPAL: Sixteen innocent girls, who should have been in nursery school learning their first alphabets, were rescued by the police from brothels lining the highways in Mandsaur.
Over the past five days, the police in Mandsaur district rescued the girls aged between two and seven years who were abducted from their homes and sold at prices ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 60,000 to flesh traders of the 'Bachhra' tribe. The little girls were being held in captivity so they could join the traditional occupation of the Bachhras as soon as they entered puberty.
Bachhras are one of the most backward tribes of the country residing in the districts adjoining Rajasthan on the western areas of the state. While their men don't work, the women are made to earn for the community through prostitution. Bachhras are known specially for child prostitution, with families making their first daughters into prostitutes.
The state government has spent hundreds of crores for the rehabilitation of the tribe but with little effect. Recently, the Mandsaur district police set up an Anti Human Trafficking Cell to curb crime and prostitution on the national highways.
It was in one of these anti-immoral traffic raids earlier this week that the police chanced upon some little girls who did not look like they were part of the Bachhra families. Thereafter, the police heard the horrific stories of abduction and imprisonment from the children. "It was generally known to us that women of the Bachhra tribe involved themselves in prostitution for a living. But what is alarming is that female infants from adjoining districts are being kidnapped so they may join the flesh trade and earn for the tribe," additional SP Pankaj Shrivastava said
Suchandana Gupta, TNN | Mar 18, 2011, 12.44am IST
BHOPAL: Sixteen innocent girls, who should have been in nursery school learning their first alphabets, were rescued by the police from brothels lining the highways in Mandsaur.
Over the past five days, the police in Mandsaur district rescued the girls aged between two and seven years who were abducted from their homes and sold at prices ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 60,000 to flesh traders of the 'Bachhra' tribe. The little girls were being held in captivity so they could join the traditional occupation of the Bachhras as soon as they entered puberty.
Bachhras are one of the most backward tribes of the country residing in the districts adjoining Rajasthan on the western areas of the state. While their men don't work, the women are made to earn for the community through prostitution. Bachhras are known specially for child prostitution, with families making their first daughters into prostitutes.
The state government has spent hundreds of crores for the rehabilitation of the tribe but with little effect. Recently, the Mandsaur district police set up an Anti Human Trafficking Cell to curb crime and prostitution on the national highways.
It was in one of these anti-immoral traffic raids earlier this week that the police chanced upon some little girls who did not look like they were part of the Bachhra families. Thereafter, the police heard the horrific stories of abduction and imprisonment from the children. "It was generally known to us that women of the Bachhra tribe involved themselves in prostitution for a living. But what is alarming is that female infants from adjoining districts are being kidnapped so they may join the flesh trade and earn for the tribe," additional SP Pankaj Shrivastava said
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The hero of heroes
Anuradha Koiralas heart beats for the Nepalese girls and women who are forced into the flesh trade. Her sole aim in life is to put an end to this abusive practice and empower the victims. Chethana Dinesh catches up with the feisty lady who was named 2010 CNN Hero of the Year for her efforts in re..
Friday, March 11, 2011
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Indian cities need special courts to fight sex trafficking
Indian cities need special courts to fight sex trafficking
Reuters | 02:43 PM,Mar 08,2011
By Nita Bhalla NEW DELHI (TrustLaw) - India's cities and major tourist destinations need specialised courts to deal with the growing numbers of women and girls who are being trafficked as prostitutes in the region, according to a senior judge. South Asia is the second largest venue for human trafficking in the world, after East Asia, according to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Swati Chauhan, the Mumbai-based magistrate of India's only court dealing with cases under the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA), said more such courts are essential as they focused more on the victim than on the perpetrator. "The ITPA is a benevolent and victim-friendly legislation and its purpose is not only to punish the accused, but to prevent re-trafficking of women through a special court which oversees the rehabilitation of victims," Chauhan told TrustLaw. "I am the judge in only court in India which hears all the cases of trafficking under the ITPA in Mumbai. I feel that such courts are needed in Delhi, Goa, Pune and Kolkata," she said. Over 150,000 people are known to be trafficked within the region every year - mostly for sex work, but also for labour, forced marriages and as part of the organ trade, according to UNODC officials. Actual numbers are likely to be higher as much of the trade is underground, they said. SOURCE, TRANSIT AND DESTINATION According to activists, human trafficking is one of the fastest growing transnational organised crimes in South Asia. Traffickers often take advantage of impoverished communities, luring girls and young women and girls with promises of jobs as maids or nannies in wealthy households in the cities. But, activists say, the reality is very different. Girls sent to India's towns and cities often end up as involuntary sex workers, sometimes detained in a room by their employers and forced into unprotected sex with multiple partners. India's bustling business capital Mumbai is a popular source, transit and destination station for traffic in women and girls, according to Chauhan. "We find a lot of girls from Bangladesh and Nepal. They end up in Mumbai and they are in the brothels -- detained sometimes -- forced into prostitution work," she said. "Girls who are lucky to be rescued by police and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Mumbai are brought before me and it is my job to understand their situation and work out the best form of rehabilitation for them to ensure that they do not go back into sex work." REHABILITATION Chauhan's court was established in 2008 after the city's high court found there was a backlog of 1,500 trafficking cases and ordered that a special place be established to hear such cases. All girls rescued from brothels in Mumbai are now brought before Chauhan, who works with a group of experts, including representatives from NGOs, on how best to ensure the victim is not re-trafficked. Sometimes the girls are taken out of parental custody, if the parents are deemed unsuitable, and placed in shelters run by NGOs. They are offered various forms of vocational training, such as catering or beauty therapy, for one year, and then given employment with the court monitoring the entire rehabilitation program from start to finish. However, Chauhan said, in many cases the girls already have become "hardcore" sex workers, accepted it as their fate and it is often difficult to persuade them that there are other choices. "Sometimes the girls say that they are doing the prostitution work voluntarily, that they do it will their will. But the real story is not so. They have accepted it as their destiny because of no option," she said. "The court tries to show these girls that there are other options that are far less harmful." (TrustLaw is a global centre for free legal assistance and anti-corruption news run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. For more TrustLaw stories, visit www.trust.org/trustlaw
Reuters | 02:43 PM,Mar 08,2011
By Nita Bhalla NEW DELHI (TrustLaw) - India's cities and major tourist destinations need specialised courts to deal with the growing numbers of women and girls who are being trafficked as prostitutes in the region, according to a senior judge. South Asia is the second largest venue for human trafficking in the world, after East Asia, according to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Swati Chauhan, the Mumbai-based magistrate of India's only court dealing with cases under the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA), said more such courts are essential as they focused more on the victim than on the perpetrator. "The ITPA is a benevolent and victim-friendly legislation and its purpose is not only to punish the accused, but to prevent re-trafficking of women through a special court which oversees the rehabilitation of victims," Chauhan told TrustLaw. "I am the judge in only court in India which hears all the cases of trafficking under the ITPA in Mumbai. I feel that such courts are needed in Delhi, Goa, Pune and Kolkata," she said. Over 150,000 people are known to be trafficked within the region every year - mostly for sex work, but also for labour, forced marriages and as part of the organ trade, according to UNODC officials. Actual numbers are likely to be higher as much of the trade is underground, they said. SOURCE, TRANSIT AND DESTINATION According to activists, human trafficking is one of the fastest growing transnational organised crimes in South Asia. Traffickers often take advantage of impoverished communities, luring girls and young women and girls with promises of jobs as maids or nannies in wealthy households in the cities. But, activists say, the reality is very different. Girls sent to India's towns and cities often end up as involuntary sex workers, sometimes detained in a room by their employers and forced into unprotected sex with multiple partners. India's bustling business capital Mumbai is a popular source, transit and destination station for traffic in women and girls, according to Chauhan. "We find a lot of girls from Bangladesh and Nepal. They end up in Mumbai and they are in the brothels -- detained sometimes -- forced into prostitution work," she said. "Girls who are lucky to be rescued by police and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Mumbai are brought before me and it is my job to understand their situation and work out the best form of rehabilitation for them to ensure that they do not go back into sex work." REHABILITATION Chauhan's court was established in 2008 after the city's high court found there was a backlog of 1,500 trafficking cases and ordered that a special place be established to hear such cases. All girls rescued from brothels in Mumbai are now brought before Chauhan, who works with a group of experts, including representatives from NGOs, on how best to ensure the victim is not re-trafficked. Sometimes the girls are taken out of parental custody, if the parents are deemed unsuitable, and placed in shelters run by NGOs. They are offered various forms of vocational training, such as catering or beauty therapy, for one year, and then given employment with the court monitoring the entire rehabilitation program from start to finish. However, Chauhan said, in many cases the girls already have become "hardcore" sex workers, accepted it as their fate and it is often difficult to persuade them that there are other choices. "Sometimes the girls say that they are doing the prostitution work voluntarily, that they do it will their will. But the real story is not so. They have accepted it as their destiny because of no option," she said. "The court tries to show these girls that there are other options that are far less harmful." (TrustLaw is a global centre for free legal assistance and anti-corruption news run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. For more TrustLaw stories, visit www.trust.org/trustlaw
Friday, January 14, 2011
Landlords escape Sex racket busts
Landlords escape Sex racket busts
Deccan Chronicle, 13th Jan 2011.
AMY ROSE THOMAS
DECCAN CHRONICLE
When a sex racket is busted by the police, it is only the prostitutes, pimps and customers who are booked, while the owners of the premises are usually let off. This is regardless of the fact that Section 18 Clause 1 of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act states that landlords too should be punished.As many as 160 cases have been registered under the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act over the last four years and in most cases, house owners have claimed that they had no clue what was going on in their premises and have escaped punishment.A few months back the police raided different parts of the city including flats in S.R. Nagar, Panjagutta, Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills. About 20 apartments were found to be functioning as brothels.
However, only in three cases were the house owners convicted and notices of seizure issued.
The owners were let off in all the other cases. "In these cases, it was proved that the owners were explicitly involved in the crime," says IPS Umapathy.
Recently the police had raided the Delhi Lodge at Patny Centre and caught the proprietor, six auto drivers and had rescued 16 sex workers. B.Srinivasa Yadav (46), had been running the lodge on lease. Since the lodge's income was meagre, he had devised a plan to earn money. He used to allow sex workers along with their customers to use his premises and would charge hefty amounts on an hourly basis, said the police. On Thursday, the Central Zone Task Force police arrested Atluri Ramesh and Atluri Prasad, along with two sex workers. The accused had rented a flat at Saifabad for Rs 17,000 per month. The duo started earning Rs 5,000 to 10,000 per day. In none of the above cases were the house owners punished.
The apartments are, however, rented out for prostitution at double the price "The prices vary.
For instance, house owners in Ameerpet charge up to Rs 20,000 from brothel organisers and only around Rs 7,000 from normal tenants. In most cases, police officials fail to mention the owners in the FIR. Thus, they are not brought under the law. If the police officials pay heed to the Act, landlords, if at all they are unaware, would be more careful and make sure that such activities do not occur under the roof of their apartments," said Rammohan, in-charge of HELP NGO.
Mahesh Bhagwat, DIG of Eluru Range, who has been instrumental in nailing many landlords who were hand-in-glove with brothel organisers, says the main problem lies in the lack of awareness of rules. "Sometimes, the police officials themselves do not know about the existence of such a clause in the Act. This is the reason why landlords are not mentioned in the report," he adds.
Deccan Chronicle, 13th Jan 2011.
AMY ROSE THOMAS
DECCAN CHRONICLE
When a sex racket is busted by the police, it is only the prostitutes, pimps and customers who are booked, while the owners of the premises are usually let off. This is regardless of the fact that Section 18 Clause 1 of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act states that landlords too should be punished.As many as 160 cases have been registered under the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act over the last four years and in most cases, house owners have claimed that they had no clue what was going on in their premises and have escaped punishment.A few months back the police raided different parts of the city including flats in S.R. Nagar, Panjagutta, Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills. About 20 apartments were found to be functioning as brothels.
However, only in three cases were the house owners convicted and notices of seizure issued.
The owners were let off in all the other cases. "In these cases, it was proved that the owners were explicitly involved in the crime," says IPS Umapathy.
Recently the police had raided the Delhi Lodge at Patny Centre and caught the proprietor, six auto drivers and had rescued 16 sex workers. B.Srinivasa Yadav (46), had been running the lodge on lease. Since the lodge's income was meagre, he had devised a plan to earn money. He used to allow sex workers along with their customers to use his premises and would charge hefty amounts on an hourly basis, said the police. On Thursday, the Central Zone Task Force police arrested Atluri Ramesh and Atluri Prasad, along with two sex workers. The accused had rented a flat at Saifabad for Rs 17,000 per month. The duo started earning Rs 5,000 to 10,000 per day. In none of the above cases were the house owners punished.
The apartments are, however, rented out for prostitution at double the price "The prices vary.
For instance, house owners in Ameerpet charge up to Rs 20,000 from brothel organisers and only around Rs 7,000 from normal tenants. In most cases, police officials fail to mention the owners in the FIR. Thus, they are not brought under the law. If the police officials pay heed to the Act, landlords, if at all they are unaware, would be more careful and make sure that such activities do not occur under the roof of their apartments," said Rammohan, in-charge of HELP NGO.
Mahesh Bhagwat, DIG of Eluru Range, who has been instrumental in nailing many landlords who were hand-in-glove with brothel organisers, says the main problem lies in the lack of awareness of rules. "Sometimes, the police officials themselves do not know about the existence of such a clause in the Act. This is the reason why landlords are not mentioned in the report," he adds.
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