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Flesh Trade in Telangana: Cops sleep as sex crimes soar
Though the State government makes tall claims on measures taken on women’s safety and prevention of trafficking , unfortunately the Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTU) set up to contain the menace are not functional. “The AHTU, which is directly under the Crime Investigation Department (CID), is not functional properly as it should be.
According to a recent study, 22,000 women including minor girls are sold off every year in various parts of the State as part of thriving flesh trade
Hyderabad: Though the State government makes tall claims on measures taken on women’s safety and prevention of trafficking , unfortunately the Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTU) set up to contain the menace are not functional. “The AHTU, which is directly under the Crime Investigation Department (CID), is not functional properly as it should be. There are teams across Telangana, where there are reports of at least 50-60 people being forced into flesh trade,” Dr Sunitha Krishnan, general secretary, Prajwala, said.
Going by statistics, as many as 370 cases of trafficking were registered till November 2014 and around 528 victims were rescued including 31 minors. “So far we have arrested 576 traffickers and 474 customers,” a senior police officer said. In a report presented by a committee to the government recently revealed that an astounding 22,000 women including minor girls are sold off in various parts of the State for sex trafficking each year.
Analysis shows that more than 85 per cent of the victims belong to backward castes. “Most women fall prey to relatives and ‘well wishers’ who promise lucrative jobs abroad. Such women land up at massage parlours, as domestic helps in Gulf countries and dance bars,” the report said.
After extensive lobbying with the Department of Women Development and Child Welfare, a new policy (GO MS 14) was brought out to ensure seats in polytechnic courses for child survivors of trafficking without an entrance test. Order stated that 70 per cent of the seats in women's technical training institute shall be reserved for complete orphans, destitute including trafficked victims, Krishnan explained.
Recently, two women from Barkas in Old City were trafficked to Abu Dhabi where they were reportedly sexually exploited by their employers. One of the victims fell ill, so the employer sent her back to Hyderabad. After reaching the city, she approached the police and the police in turn arrested two brokers under various section of Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA).
This was not an isolated case, there are many more such that often go unreported. The modus operandi of the offenders each time changes which ranges from forced marriages to religious practices. “Today, trafficking of women and children is one of the fastest growing areas of national and international criminal activity. It is a multi-billion dollar industry, and has created complex criminal networks at times, with the patronage of those in power.
Lack of suitable laws and law enforcement machinery add to the problem,” Krishnan said. “We should maintain database for regular sex offenders and suspected traffickers which would be easy for tracking the culprits,” a police official said.
By:Victor Rao
