Wednesday, June 4, 2008 (Pune)
Thousands of young girls in India are forced into prostitution every day. Some of them are as young as ten years. NDTV met one such victim, who was lucky enough to escape. She narrates her plight and that of many others like her still languishing in brothels. ''I was kidnapped from Hyderabad and sold here. I was physically assaulted and forced into prostitution. I was injected so I do not suffer from pain,'' said the victim of prostitution. Over the last 11 months, this girl, has been sold to about 11,000 customers. She is just 15. Kidnapped by an organised gang from her hometown Hyderabad, she was sold in Budhwar Peth, the red light district of Pune for Rs 35,000. What followed was a nightmare. There seemed no exit from the hell she was living in but then quite luckily a customer agreed to let her use his mobile phone and she immediately called her family. Within days, the police had found her. She was rescued but she says there are thousands of girls like her still trapped inside.''There are girls even as young as 7-10 years old. As they grow up, they are pushed into this trade,'' she added. Off camera, she also tells us, many police raids are stage managed because most brothel owners are tipped off about the raid. So the success of the rescue operations are limited. ''In the last one year, we have rescued some 330 girls. Whenever we get information, we conduct a raid and free the girls,'' said V T Pawar, Senior Inspector, Faraskhana Police Station.''It's true that now more and more young girls are being forced into this profession, as it has been always, because of the demand,'' said Tejaswini Sevekari, Director, Saheli. What is lacking is very close monitoring of such brothels without which thousands of young girls slip through the cracks many of them never to be found.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Nepalese girls among 24 minors 'rescued'
The Times of India -
Nepalese girls among 24 minors 'rescued'
14 Jun 2008, 0414 hrs IST, Suhas Vyas,TNN
AKOLA: As many as 24 girl artists employed with a circus group were taken into custody for interrogation following a raid on Friday morning. The Raj Mahal Circus shows began here at Akola Cricket Club ground on June 5. Assistant labour commissioner A S Belekar took custody of these 24 girls — most of them Nepalese and some Asamese. The Nepalese embassy made a formal request to the government of India informing about the freeing the Nepalese girls employed by the circus, according Philip Holmes, founder director of Esther Benjamins Trust (EBT), a Nepal based non-government organisation.
An EBT team led by Holmes contacted the local police and the action was taken following a directive issued to this affect by district collector Dr Srikar Pardesi. Holmes, accompanied by his associates Shailaja C M and Dilu Tamang and Nandita Rao, legal advisor of Child Line, said there was no law about prevention of child labour in Nepal and EBT was working for the prevention of illegal human trafficking, child labour, drugs etc.
Talking to TOI, Nandita Rao said preliminary investigation revealed that the girl artists were "treated as prisoners and bonded labour on a meagre wages". They were in a way purchased by paying a meagre sum from their parents, she alleged. Many of the girls female expressed their willingness to go return home. "The girls would be taken back to their native place if they desired so," Rao said. Raj Mahal Circus is Kanpur-based and came into being in 1995. Its owner Fateh Khan executed a unique agreement with the parents of each girl artist to employ them as as an apprentice artist on a meagre wages of Rs 100 per month and providing food, clothes, shelter and medical aid to be borne by the circus management. The execution of agreement was not registered and was made at Kanpur.
Prima facie it appeared that the girls were bonded labours employed by the circus on the pretext of training various acrobatic skills. Khan allegedly paid only Rs 1000 to the parents of the girls initially and laid a condition that the parents would have to reimburse the expenses incurred on the girls by the circus management in case they want to take the girls back.
Nepalese girls among 24 minors 'rescued'
14 Jun 2008, 0414 hrs IST, Suhas Vyas,TNN
AKOLA: As many as 24 girl artists employed with a circus group were taken into custody for interrogation following a raid on Friday morning. The Raj Mahal Circus shows began here at Akola Cricket Club ground on June 5. Assistant labour commissioner A S Belekar took custody of these 24 girls — most of them Nepalese and some Asamese. The Nepalese embassy made a formal request to the government of India informing about the freeing the Nepalese girls employed by the circus, according Philip Holmes, founder director of Esther Benjamins Trust (EBT), a Nepal based non-government organisation.
An EBT team led by Holmes contacted the local police and the action was taken following a directive issued to this affect by district collector Dr Srikar Pardesi. Holmes, accompanied by his associates Shailaja C M and Dilu Tamang and Nandita Rao, legal advisor of Child Line, said there was no law about prevention of child labour in Nepal and EBT was working for the prevention of illegal human trafficking, child labour, drugs etc.
Talking to TOI, Nandita Rao said preliminary investigation revealed that the girl artists were "treated as prisoners and bonded labour on a meagre wages". They were in a way purchased by paying a meagre sum from their parents, she alleged. Many of the girls female expressed their willingness to go return home. "The girls would be taken back to their native place if they desired so," Rao said. Raj Mahal Circus is Kanpur-based and came into being in 1995. Its owner Fateh Khan executed a unique agreement with the parents of each girl artist to employ them as as an apprentice artist on a meagre wages of Rs 100 per month and providing food, clothes, shelter and medical aid to be borne by the circus management. The execution of agreement was not registered and was made at Kanpur.
Prima facie it appeared that the girls were bonded labours employed by the circus on the pretext of training various acrobatic skills. Khan allegedly paid only Rs 1000 to the parents of the girls initially and laid a condition that the parents would have to reimburse the expenses incurred on the girls by the circus management in case they want to take the girls back.
Out of 20 artists released from the Circus, 6 belonged to Nepal while 14 belonged to India. (12 from WB & 2 from Assam). We sent two teams under the leadership of revenue officials and with adequate police escort to Delhi and Kolkata respectively. The Delhi team has handed over the 6 Nepalese girls to the First Secretary, Embassy of Nepal at New Delhi on June 19, 2008. The second team reached Kolkata on 19th June and has handed over 4 rescued artists to DM Nadia & 8 artists to DM Jalpaigudi. The team is on way to Dhemaji District of Assam where they would be handing over the custody of remaining 2 girls to the DM Dhemaji.
All the rescued artists have been issued the Release Certificate by me as per the provisions of The Bonded Labour Abolition Act, 1974. In addition, the 13 children have been issued the Release Certificate under the provisions of Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. We have given Rs. 1000/- each to the rescued artists as subsistence allowance under the guidelines of Govt. of India regarding rehabilitation of the rescued bonded labourers. As per the scheme, the remaining Rs. 19,000/- are to be given by the DM of their native district towards the rehabilitation of these persons. I have made a request to the concerned District Magistrates about the same.
Congratulations to Collector, SP of Akola Dist. & their NGO partners for saving the lives of 24 minors.
Friday, June 06, 2008
US watch list slams India for human trafficking
Howrah News Service - Latest news and headlines on Howrah,West Bengal and World:
US watch list slams India for human traffickingUS watch list slams India for human trafficking
================================================================================NewsByte on 05 June, 2008 03:26:37
The US has placed India on its second worst category of human trafficking watch list for the fifth year in a row for allegedly failing to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat the problem.
"India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation," an annual US State Department report released on Wednesday said,placing New Delhi on the Tier-2 Watch List."The government of India does not fully comply with the minimum standards forthe elimination of trafficking. However, it is making significant efforts to doso," said the 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report released by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice."Despite the reported extent of the trafficking crisis in India, government authorities made uneven efforts to prosecute traffickers and protect trafficking victims," it said, suggesting, "Internal forced labour may constitute India's largest trafficking problem.
"Rice said the goal of the report covering 170 countries "is to shine a light onrecent accomplishments and encourage governments in their resolve to confront those who prey on the weakest and most vulnerable members of society".
"Together, we are confident that this modern, growing abolitionist movement will continue to rescue, rehabilitate, and restore the lives of those from whomso much has been taken," she said.Denying a reporter's suggestion that India and China had not been moved to the worst Tier 3 as the US was trying to forge economic ties with them, Mark Lagon,director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons said: "With respect to India and China, these are both very serious cases.""We're quite blunt in the report. Frankly, we're quite blunt in our extensive diplomatic dialogue with these countries," he said noting: "There are some positive developments in each.""India has made efforts on the child labour front, rescuing victims. In fact,Indian Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes joined in a raid." Lagon said. "But India still doesn't recognise bonded labour as human trafficking.
It has weakanti-corruption efforts and prosecutions are too few."Asked if in view of this, he felt comfortable that both India and China arestill on Tier-2 Watch List, he said: "Indeed, indeed."
Sexual exploitation
The report said India is also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Nepali children are also trafficked to India for forced labour in circus shows.Indian women are trafficked to the Middle East for commercial sexual exploitation, the report said.
There are also victims of labour trafficking
Among the thousands of Indians who migrate willingly every year to the Middle East, Europe, and the US for work as domestic servants and low-skilled labourers.Men and women from Bangladesh and Nepal are trafficked through India for forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation in the Middle East. Indian nationalstravel to Nepal and within the country for child sex tourism.In India itself, men, women, and children are held in debt bondage and face forced labour working in brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, and embroideryfactories, the report said.While no comprehensive study of forced and bonded labour has been completed,NGOs estimate this problem affects 20 to 65 million Indians, it said. Women and girls are trafficked within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage.Children are subjected to forced labour as factory workers, domestic servants,beggars, and agriculture workers, and have been used as armed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups, it said. Describing lack of punishment of traffickers as "a critical challenge", thereport recommended an expansion of central and state government law enforcement capacity to conduct intrastate law enforcement activities against trafficking.India's efforts to protect victims of trafficking varied from state to state,but remained inadequate in many places during the year, the report said.Calling India's efforts aimed at the prevention of trafficking in persons as"inadequate", the report said:
"The government did not report new or significant prevention efforts addressing the prominent domestic problems of trafficking of adults for purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation."It also did not report any efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts, the State Department report said. Similarly, the government failed to take any steps to raise awareness of trafficking for nationals travelling to knownchild sex tourism destinations within the country.
India has not ratified the2000 UN Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Protocol
US watch list slams India for human traffickingUS watch list slams India for human trafficking
================================================================================NewsByte on 05 June, 2008 03:26:37
The US has placed India on its second worst category of human trafficking watch list for the fifth year in a row for allegedly failing to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat the problem.
"India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation," an annual US State Department report released on Wednesday said,placing New Delhi on the Tier-2 Watch List."The government of India does not fully comply with the minimum standards forthe elimination of trafficking. However, it is making significant efforts to doso," said the 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report released by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice."Despite the reported extent of the trafficking crisis in India, government authorities made uneven efforts to prosecute traffickers and protect trafficking victims," it said, suggesting, "Internal forced labour may constitute India's largest trafficking problem.
"Rice said the goal of the report covering 170 countries "is to shine a light onrecent accomplishments and encourage governments in their resolve to confront those who prey on the weakest and most vulnerable members of society".
"Together, we are confident that this modern, growing abolitionist movement will continue to rescue, rehabilitate, and restore the lives of those from whomso much has been taken," she said.Denying a reporter's suggestion that India and China had not been moved to the worst Tier 3 as the US was trying to forge economic ties with them, Mark Lagon,director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons said: "With respect to India and China, these are both very serious cases.""We're quite blunt in the report. Frankly, we're quite blunt in our extensive diplomatic dialogue with these countries," he said noting: "There are some positive developments in each.""India has made efforts on the child labour front, rescuing victims. In fact,Indian Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes joined in a raid." Lagon said. "But India still doesn't recognise bonded labour as human trafficking.
It has weakanti-corruption efforts and prosecutions are too few."Asked if in view of this, he felt comfortable that both India and China arestill on Tier-2 Watch List, he said: "Indeed, indeed."
Sexual exploitation
The report said India is also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Nepali children are also trafficked to India for forced labour in circus shows.Indian women are trafficked to the Middle East for commercial sexual exploitation, the report said.
There are also victims of labour trafficking
Among the thousands of Indians who migrate willingly every year to the Middle East, Europe, and the US for work as domestic servants and low-skilled labourers.Men and women from Bangladesh and Nepal are trafficked through India for forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation in the Middle East. Indian nationalstravel to Nepal and within the country for child sex tourism.In India itself, men, women, and children are held in debt bondage and face forced labour working in brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, and embroideryfactories, the report said.While no comprehensive study of forced and bonded labour has been completed,NGOs estimate this problem affects 20 to 65 million Indians, it said. Women and girls are trafficked within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage.Children are subjected to forced labour as factory workers, domestic servants,beggars, and agriculture workers, and have been used as armed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups, it said. Describing lack of punishment of traffickers as "a critical challenge", thereport recommended an expansion of central and state government law enforcement capacity to conduct intrastate law enforcement activities against trafficking.India's efforts to protect victims of trafficking varied from state to state,but remained inadequate in many places during the year, the report said.Calling India's efforts aimed at the prevention of trafficking in persons as"inadequate", the report said:
"The government did not report new or significant prevention efforts addressing the prominent domestic problems of trafficking of adults for purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation."It also did not report any efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts, the State Department report said. Similarly, the government failed to take any steps to raise awareness of trafficking for nationals travelling to knownchild sex tourism destinations within the country.
India has not ratified the2000 UN Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Protocol
Friday, March 28, 2008
Scourge of human trafficking in India
.By Sandhya Nigam
17 March 2008, Monday
WHEN MONA was 13 years, her mother died and her father remarried. The stepmother was uncomfortable with Mona and wanted to send her away for some job, where she would be able to look after herself. Along came a ”contractor” who arranged jobs for youngsters as domestic help, etc. He paid a certain sum of money to the stepmother and took Mona to a town far away. He got her a job in a massage parlour as a ‘receptionist’. Even before Mona got to know the work profile, she realized that she had been trapped into sexual exploitation. She had become a sexual slave to the ‘customers’ who frequented the place for full-body massage.
Mona is no exception. She is one of the millions of women and children being trafficked and exploited. Mona’s case presents a typical trafficking scenario. Human trafficking (HT) is one of the gravest violations of human dignity and human rights. Trafficking can be classified under three heads: (a) for commercial sexual exploitation or CSE, (b) for exploitative labour or EL and (c) for other forms of exploitation, like organ sale, camel jockeying, etc.
CSE could take place in a brothel or anywhere else like massage parlours and bars. The cause of trafficking is two-dimensional. One is the demand factor and the other is the vulnerability of the person being victimised. More the demand, more the crime. The vulnerability of the trafficked victim is another dimension. Vulnerability, as often quoted, is not exactly attributable to poverty. It is a culmination of several factors, including awareness of rights, lack of access to rights, illiteracy, disparities of income , the scope for exploitation of the victim, poor law enforcement, lack of public awareness and the ” culture of silence” to violation of rights of others.
Article 23 of the Constitution of India prohibits trafficking in any form. We have special legislations like the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act (ITPA), 1956, the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2000. The law enforcement scenario, seen from the traditional viewpoint, presents a dismal picture. Research conducted by the National Human Rights Commission during 2002-2004 shows that the major issues in law enforcement are as follows:
1. Lack of priority-The law enforcement agencies and justice delivery agencies, for various reasons, accord lowest or nil priority to HT issues.
2. Insensitivity-The lack of sensitivity to human trafficking is a major challenge. It is more of an attitudinal issue.
3. Victimisation of the victim-More often, the trafficked women have been arrested and penalized for ‘soliciting’.
4 Improper Investigation-trafficking involves a long trail, starting from the source point, covering several transit points before terminating at the destination. But the investigation is more or less confined to the place where the victim is rescued. Victims remain more often unheard and unrepresented.
5. Organised crime perspective is lacking in investigation- HT involves several offenders like recruiters, transporters, traffickers, harbourers, exploiters and conspirators. But often, investigation is limited to those present at the scene of rescue. Human trafficking being an organized crime requires sharing of intelligence and an in-depth investigation into all linkages but this is rarely done.
6. Lack of co-ordination-The response to human trafficking requires co-ordination among the various government departments, like police, public welfare, health, women and child. The gap in co-ordination is a major challenge to the response system.
7. Lack of coordination with NGO’s- The ITPA and labour laws do assign specific role to NGO’s; however there is no institutionalized system of co-ordination between the law enforcement agencies and NGO’s.
8. Lack of Appreciation-Several instances of good work done by the police officers, researchers, NGO’s, etc, in controlling human trafficking can be cited. However such actions are not acknowledged and disseminated; often good news is no news and bad news is good news.
9. Lack of Emphasis on Rehabilitation- This is a major challenge which leads to not only victimization of victims but also re-trafficking of the rescued person. Despite the fact that several corporates set aside large funds for social responsibility, lack of synergy with the law enforcement agencies and NGO’s has been an impediment in effective dovetailing of such sources for rehabilitating the victim.
However, the emerging scenario is certainly positive. There are several initiatives launched across the country to address human trafficking in a comprehensive and effective manner. Some of these initiatives may be initiated by individuals who are committed to the cause and due to their initiatives, such steps are getting institutionalised. In fact, during the last six years of this century, there has been a growing momentum against human trafficking. The reasons may be many. First of all, credit should go to NGOs who have brought the HT issue into the national agenda. Secondly, several law enforcement officers and human rights activists have provided leadership and proper orientation in achieving better results in anti-human trafficking (AHT).
*Increased awareness-There is a national momentum, involving various stake holders, especially the media, the corporates, government agencies including the law-enforcement wing and human rights agencies. One of the best examples is the Global Initiative in Fighting Human Trafficking (GIFT), initiated by UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime).
Holistic approach: Several agencies working together and attending to the issues of ‘PPP’(Prevention, Protection and Prosecution), in a concerted manner has been one of the features of the new response system. While police undertake rescue operations along with NGOs, other government departments immediately move in, to provide interim relief to the victims. The NGOs take over post-rescue care and attention in association with the government agencies concerned.
*Synergy in action: The UNODC, New Delhi, in partnership with the government of India and State government agencies as well as civil society has set up ‘anti-human trafficking units’ (AHTU) in several states. AHTU is a special task force set up under the State police, by involving chosen police officers, NGOs and others who are specially trained for the purpose. UNODC has provided training and empowerment to these officers with focus on knowledge, skills and attitudinal orientation. These units are making a tremendous impact on the law enforcement scenario - for example, in a span of six months, the AHTUs in Andhra Pradesh have rescued more than 700 victims of which more than 100 are children under 18. The rescued victims are being promptly taken care of by the government as well as NGOs, most of them having been rehabilitated with the help of corporate and business houses. Excellent rehabilitation has been achieved through synergetic action.
AHT is an area, which beckons all those who are concerned with human rights. There is much to do and something to be done by everybody. It is everybody’s business. The question is whether one is a part of the problem or part of the solution. There is no third option. Therefore, all who are committed to human rights must join hands in this global initiative to fight human trafficking. We can together ensure that, Mona is safe in our home and community and that Mona lives with dignity, like all of us and it will be so with all the Mona’s.
Achievements of anti-human trafficking measures in five states (Jan-Sep 2007):
1. Trafficking crimes registered: 466 # Rescue Operations: 96
2. NGOs associated in operations: 90 per cent # Victims rescued: 716
3. Minors rescued: 108 # Traffickers arrested: 1020.
4.’Customers’arrested: 332 #Traffickers convicted: 2
5. Centres of exploitation closed: Andhra Pradesh and Goa.
6. Crimes prevented: numerous, though the numbers are not available.
7. Post-rescue care and attention provided to rescued persons: Cent percent
17 March 2008, Monday
WHEN MONA was 13 years, her mother died and her father remarried. The stepmother was uncomfortable with Mona and wanted to send her away for some job, where she would be able to look after herself. Along came a ”contractor” who arranged jobs for youngsters as domestic help, etc. He paid a certain sum of money to the stepmother and took Mona to a town far away. He got her a job in a massage parlour as a ‘receptionist’. Even before Mona got to know the work profile, she realized that she had been trapped into sexual exploitation. She had become a sexual slave to the ‘customers’ who frequented the place for full-body massage.
Mona is no exception. She is one of the millions of women and children being trafficked and exploited. Mona’s case presents a typical trafficking scenario. Human trafficking (HT) is one of the gravest violations of human dignity and human rights. Trafficking can be classified under three heads: (a) for commercial sexual exploitation or CSE, (b) for exploitative labour or EL and (c) for other forms of exploitation, like organ sale, camel jockeying, etc.
CSE could take place in a brothel or anywhere else like massage parlours and bars. The cause of trafficking is two-dimensional. One is the demand factor and the other is the vulnerability of the person being victimised. More the demand, more the crime. The vulnerability of the trafficked victim is another dimension. Vulnerability, as often quoted, is not exactly attributable to poverty. It is a culmination of several factors, including awareness of rights, lack of access to rights, illiteracy, disparities of income , the scope for exploitation of the victim, poor law enforcement, lack of public awareness and the ” culture of silence” to violation of rights of others.
Article 23 of the Constitution of India prohibits trafficking in any form. We have special legislations like the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act (ITPA), 1956, the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2000. The law enforcement scenario, seen from the traditional viewpoint, presents a dismal picture. Research conducted by the National Human Rights Commission during 2002-2004 shows that the major issues in law enforcement are as follows:
1. Lack of priority-The law enforcement agencies and justice delivery agencies, for various reasons, accord lowest or nil priority to HT issues.
2. Insensitivity-The lack of sensitivity to human trafficking is a major challenge. It is more of an attitudinal issue.
3. Victimisation of the victim-More often, the trafficked women have been arrested and penalized for ‘soliciting’.
4 Improper Investigation-trafficking involves a long trail, starting from the source point, covering several transit points before terminating at the destination. But the investigation is more or less confined to the place where the victim is rescued. Victims remain more often unheard and unrepresented.
5. Organised crime perspective is lacking in investigation- HT involves several offenders like recruiters, transporters, traffickers, harbourers, exploiters and conspirators. But often, investigation is limited to those present at the scene of rescue. Human trafficking being an organized crime requires sharing of intelligence and an in-depth investigation into all linkages but this is rarely done.
6. Lack of co-ordination-The response to human trafficking requires co-ordination among the various government departments, like police, public welfare, health, women and child. The gap in co-ordination is a major challenge to the response system.
7. Lack of coordination with NGO’s- The ITPA and labour laws do assign specific role to NGO’s; however there is no institutionalized system of co-ordination between the law enforcement agencies and NGO’s.
8. Lack of Appreciation-Several instances of good work done by the police officers, researchers, NGO’s, etc, in controlling human trafficking can be cited. However such actions are not acknowledged and disseminated; often good news is no news and bad news is good news.
9. Lack of Emphasis on Rehabilitation- This is a major challenge which leads to not only victimization of victims but also re-trafficking of the rescued person. Despite the fact that several corporates set aside large funds for social responsibility, lack of synergy with the law enforcement agencies and NGO’s has been an impediment in effective dovetailing of such sources for rehabilitating the victim.
However, the emerging scenario is certainly positive. There are several initiatives launched across the country to address human trafficking in a comprehensive and effective manner. Some of these initiatives may be initiated by individuals who are committed to the cause and due to their initiatives, such steps are getting institutionalised. In fact, during the last six years of this century, there has been a growing momentum against human trafficking. The reasons may be many. First of all, credit should go to NGOs who have brought the HT issue into the national agenda. Secondly, several law enforcement officers and human rights activists have provided leadership and proper orientation in achieving better results in anti-human trafficking (AHT).
*Increased awareness-There is a national momentum, involving various stake holders, especially the media, the corporates, government agencies including the law-enforcement wing and human rights agencies. One of the best examples is the Global Initiative in Fighting Human Trafficking (GIFT), initiated by UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime).
Holistic approach: Several agencies working together and attending to the issues of ‘PPP’(Prevention, Protection and Prosecution), in a concerted manner has been one of the features of the new response system. While police undertake rescue operations along with NGOs, other government departments immediately move in, to provide interim relief to the victims. The NGOs take over post-rescue care and attention in association with the government agencies concerned.
*Synergy in action: The UNODC, New Delhi, in partnership with the government of India and State government agencies as well as civil society has set up ‘anti-human trafficking units’ (AHTU) in several states. AHTU is a special task force set up under the State police, by involving chosen police officers, NGOs and others who are specially trained for the purpose. UNODC has provided training and empowerment to these officers with focus on knowledge, skills and attitudinal orientation. These units are making a tremendous impact on the law enforcement scenario - for example, in a span of six months, the AHTUs in Andhra Pradesh have rescued more than 700 victims of which more than 100 are children under 18. The rescued victims are being promptly taken care of by the government as well as NGOs, most of them having been rehabilitated with the help of corporate and business houses. Excellent rehabilitation has been achieved through synergetic action.
AHT is an area, which beckons all those who are concerned with human rights. There is much to do and something to be done by everybody. It is everybody’s business. The question is whether one is a part of the problem or part of the solution. There is no third option. Therefore, all who are committed to human rights must join hands in this global initiative to fight human trafficking. We can together ensure that, Mona is safe in our home and community and that Mona lives with dignity, like all of us and it will be so with all the Mona’s.
Achievements of anti-human trafficking measures in five states (Jan-Sep 2007):
1. Trafficking crimes registered: 466 # Rescue Operations: 96
2. NGOs associated in operations: 90 per cent # Victims rescued: 716
3. Minors rescued: 108 # Traffickers arrested: 1020.
4.’Customers’arrested: 332 #Traffickers convicted: 2
5. Centres of exploitation closed: Andhra Pradesh and Goa.
6. Crimes prevented: numerous, though the numbers are not available.
7. Post-rescue care and attention provided to rescued persons: Cent percent
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Chennai doctor gets lifer in cyber porn case
THE TIMES OF INDIA
Chennai doctor gets lifer in cyber porn case
7 Feb 2008, 1436 hrs
CHENNAI: A fast track court on Thursday sentenced city-based orthopaedic Dr L Prakash to life imprisonment and three others to seven years rigorous imprisonment in a cyber pornography case. Prakash was arrested in December 2001 on charges of posting obscene pictures of women on the internet with the help of his brother based in the US. Judge R Radha, who convicted all the four on Wednesday, also imposed a fine of Rs 1.27 lakh on Prakash, the main accused in the case, and Rs 2,500 each on his three associates - Saravanan, Vijayan and Asir Gunasingh. The judge, while awarding life term to Prakash, observed that considering the gravity of the offences committed by the main accused, maximum punishment under the Immoral Trafficking Act (life imprisonment) should be given to him and no leniency should be shown. The judge sentenced Prakash under the Immoral Trafficking Act, IPC, Arms Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prevention) Act among others. The judge said the sentences would run concurrently.
Chennai doctor gets lifer in cyber porn case
7 Feb 2008, 1436 hrs
CHENNAI: A fast track court on Thursday sentenced city-based orthopaedic Dr L Prakash to life imprisonment and three others to seven years rigorous imprisonment in a cyber pornography case. Prakash was arrested in December 2001 on charges of posting obscene pictures of women on the internet with the help of his brother based in the US. Judge R Radha, who convicted all the four on Wednesday, also imposed a fine of Rs 1.27 lakh on Prakash, the main accused in the case, and Rs 2,500 each on his three associates - Saravanan, Vijayan and Asir Gunasingh. The judge, while awarding life term to Prakash, observed that considering the gravity of the offences committed by the main accused, maximum punishment under the Immoral Trafficking Act (life imprisonment) should be given to him and no leniency should be shown. The judge sentenced Prakash under the Immoral Trafficking Act, IPC, Arms Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prevention) Act among others. The judge said the sentences would run concurrently.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Faces of Bihari child labourers say it all
Date:08/01/2008
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad
Swathi.V
*Thirteen children rescued from paper recycling unit in city
*The young labourers did not get a single day’s wage so far
*Rs. 600 per month was deducted as food expenses from these workers
PHOTO: SWATHI.V. Innocent victims: The Bihari children rescued from a paper mill on Saturday were sheltered at a home in Petbasheerabad of Medchal. -
HYDERABAD: Weathered faces of 13 Bihari children rescued from a paper recycling unit in the city on Saturday scarcely display signs of playfulness. Having endured utter penury and social discrimination in their native State, they have learnt the ways of the world too early in life. Parents of Mohd.Naushad, 13, are tenant farmers at Pakadia village of Dharbanga district, who do not own even a bullock. His 11-member family includes three brothers and five sisters. Unable to eke out a living, his parents sent Naushad to work in Hyderabad. He was among the contingent of 30 (both children and adults), which reached here six months ago.
Though promised Rs.2,400 a month, these labourers have not received even a day’s wages. “Forced to live inside the factory premises, we worked in a 12-hour shift continuously. There was no respite on Sundays and festivals. Absence due to illness would not be brooked by the management. We did not even have money for return tickets,” Saroj Kumar, another boy relates. Measly meals
They had to cook meals from the ration given by the factory management. Rs.600 per month was to be deducted from their earnings towards food. The children are yet to reconcile to the fact that one among them is dead. Mohd. Shakeel, the boy who died after being hit by the conveyor belt, was a cousin of Naushad.
“My parents were weeping over the phone. They wanted me to come back. I will never come here again,” Naushad says.
All were not as firm, however. “What we earn at home gets dissipated for the daily needs. Only by working outside can we repay the debts and buy some property,” another child Mohan Kumar says with cold practicality. None of them display any intention of ever going to a school. While the parents of a few children arrived from Bihar on Monday, there was no trace of either the mill owner or the Labour
13 child labourers rescued from paper mill
Date:06/01/2008
13 child labourers rescued from paper mill
Staff Reporter
HYDERABAD: Inspection of a paper mill following the death of a child labourer due to alleged negligence of management led to the rescue of 13 of his ‘colleagues’ at Medchal on Saturday.
All the rescued child workers were in the age group of 11-14 years and hailed from Dharbhanga and Madhubani districts of Bihar. While two labour contractors of Bihar, Kamlesh Kher Jha and Chandrashekhar Jha, were arrested on charge of hiring the children, the Limra paper mill owner Mohd. Afroz was absconding, the Cyberabad DCP (Alwal) Mahesh Bhagwat said.
Thirteen-year-old Mohd. Shakeel working in the factory located at Kishtapur died on Friday after he was hit by a conveyor belt. A case under section 304-A (rash and negligent act resulting in death) and 374 (unlawful compulsory labour) of the Indian Penal Code was registered. Shifted to hospital
Later, Medchal Inspector Mohd. Rafiq inspected the mill jointly with the officials of the Factories and the Labour departments to ascertain facts. They found 13 more children working in the mill and rescued them. The children were shifted to the Government hospital for age determination test.
The children would be lodged in Ashrita rescue home in Petbasheerabad till they are reunited with their respective parents.
The DCP said each rescued child worker would be provided a financial assistance of Rs. 10,000 as per Government norms.
“We are writing to the Government to close down the mill since employing children in hazardous units is a serious offence,” Mr. Bhagawat said.
Staff Reporter
HYDERABAD: Inspection of a paper mill following the death of a child labourer due to alleged negligence of management led to the rescue of 13 of his ‘colleagues’ at Medchal on Saturday.
All the rescued child workers were in the age group of 11-14 years and hailed from Dharbhanga and Madhubani districts of Bihar. While two labour contractors of Bihar, Kamlesh Kher Jha and Chandrashekhar Jha, were arrested on charge of hiring the children, the Limra paper mill owner Mohd. Afroz was absconding, the Cyberabad DCP (Alwal) Mahesh Bhagwat said.
Thirteen-year-old Mohd. Shakeel working in the factory located at Kishtapur died on Friday after he was hit by a conveyor belt. A case under section 304-A (rash and negligent act resulting in death) and 374 (unlawful compulsory labour) of the Indian Penal Code was registered. Shifted to hospital
Later, Medchal Inspector Mohd. Rafiq inspected the mill jointly with the officials of the Factories and the Labour departments to ascertain facts. They found 13 more children working in the mill and rescued them. The children were shifted to the Government hospital for age determination test.
The children would be lodged in Ashrita rescue home in Petbasheerabad till they are reunited with their respective parents.
The DCP said each rescued child worker would be provided a financial assistance of Rs. 10,000 as per Government norms.
“We are writing to the Government to close down the mill since employing children in hazardous units is a serious offence,” Mr. Bhagawat said.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Cross-border trafficking racket involving girls from AP busted
Print Story
Cross-border trafficking racket involving girls from AP busted
PIA CHANDAVARKAR
Posted online: Friday, January 04, 2008 at 0000 hrs IST
Pune, January 3The Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) along with the Pune Police on Thursday busted a major cross-border trafficking racket operated in Pune, with women being trafficked from tribal-dominated districts in Andhra Pradesh. While the exact number of those arrested will be finalised only after further investigation, Andhra Pradesh Superintendent of Police Sumita B told The Indian Express that at least 10 traffickers and 40 victims have already been taken into custody.
Based on complaints received from victims in the AP districts of Anantapur, Chittur, and Kadappa who had escaped from brothels in Pune, the Andhra Pradesh CID tipped off local police as well as NGOs. Simultaneous raids were then conducted at various locations in the city’s Budhwar Peth area on Thursday afternoon, and at least 100 women were arrested. Some of those from states other than AP were released. The victims, including six minors, will now be taken back to AP for counseling, while the accused will be produced before court on Friday.
“These arrests are part of a continuous exercise in various cities, involving the transport of minor and major girls across the AP border. There are many instances of girls who have been brought by their parents or relatives, who are in turn often tricked by the agents here. These trafficking operations have been going on for a minimum of two years, going up to even 20 years in some cases,” Sumita said.
CID officials said the girls mostly hailed from economically backward tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh. “The racket is operated across various cities, but Pune has the highest number of trafficking cases from Andhra Pradesh,” a female official from the CID said.
Detailed counseling will now be given to the victims in Andhra Pradesh. “The AP government has many schemes to rehabilitate those victims of the sex trade who express interest for the same. Apart from Rs 10,000 in cash that is given to each victim, housing and employment is also provided to them. Moreover, NGOs are also authorised to provide them with necessary items like clothing, and even assist them in getting reintegrated with their families,” Sumita said.
The Faraskhana police station, where the women were brought, was a scene of complete chaos as the arrested women raised protests that they had not been given any food or water since the arrests were made. “We were not even given an opportunity to bring our belongings and have just locked our houses,” one of them said. Some NGO members also expressed displeasure at the manner in which the procedure was being carried out, and the treatment meted out to the victims.
Faraskhana senior police inspector VT Pawar denied this, saying that the arrested had been provided with bananas and ‘vada pav.’ In fact, these items had been brought in by local NGOs after the women protested
Cross-border trafficking racket involving girls from AP busted
PIA CHANDAVARKAR
Posted online: Friday, January 04, 2008 at 0000 hrs IST
Pune, January 3The Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (CID) along with the Pune Police on Thursday busted a major cross-border trafficking racket operated in Pune, with women being trafficked from tribal-dominated districts in Andhra Pradesh. While the exact number of those arrested will be finalised only after further investigation, Andhra Pradesh Superintendent of Police Sumita B told The Indian Express that at least 10 traffickers and 40 victims have already been taken into custody.
Based on complaints received from victims in the AP districts of Anantapur, Chittur, and Kadappa who had escaped from brothels in Pune, the Andhra Pradesh CID tipped off local police as well as NGOs. Simultaneous raids were then conducted at various locations in the city’s Budhwar Peth area on Thursday afternoon, and at least 100 women were arrested. Some of those from states other than AP were released. The victims, including six minors, will now be taken back to AP for counseling, while the accused will be produced before court on Friday.
“These arrests are part of a continuous exercise in various cities, involving the transport of minor and major girls across the AP border. There are many instances of girls who have been brought by their parents or relatives, who are in turn often tricked by the agents here. These trafficking operations have been going on for a minimum of two years, going up to even 20 years in some cases,” Sumita said.
CID officials said the girls mostly hailed from economically backward tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh. “The racket is operated across various cities, but Pune has the highest number of trafficking cases from Andhra Pradesh,” a female official from the CID said.
Detailed counseling will now be given to the victims in Andhra Pradesh. “The AP government has many schemes to rehabilitate those victims of the sex trade who express interest for the same. Apart from Rs 10,000 in cash that is given to each victim, housing and employment is also provided to them. Moreover, NGOs are also authorised to provide them with necessary items like clothing, and even assist them in getting reintegrated with their families,” Sumita said.
The Faraskhana police station, where the women were brought, was a scene of complete chaos as the arrested women raised protests that they had not been given any food or water since the arrests were made. “We were not even given an opportunity to bring our belongings and have just locked our houses,” one of them said. Some NGO members also expressed displeasure at the manner in which the procedure was being carried out, and the treatment meted out to the victims.
Faraskhana senior police inspector VT Pawar denied this, saying that the arrested had been provided with bananas and ‘vada pav.’ In fact, these items had been brought in by local NGOs after the women protested
Sunday, December 23, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
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
Sunday, October 07, 2007
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
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
Sunday, September 30, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
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
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
Sunday, September 23, 2007
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
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.
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.
Friday, September 14, 2007
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)
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)
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, September 10, 2007
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
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
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