Tomorrow will be too late… Sex trafficking is not stopping in Goa, transgenders are also victim

Arun Pandey of ARZ said that girls are called in casinos, dance bars and hotels on the pretext of better jobs. After that they are forced for sexual activities.

Goa: NGO Anya Rahat Zindagi (ARZ) said no victim of commercial sexual exploitation has been rescued from the state since October and this has led to a rise in sex trafficking in the state. The NGO said that many transgenders from all over the country come to Goa as there has been a continuous increase in their demand. The NGO said that around 7,000 women, men and transgenders living in the state are victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

Arun Pandey of ARZ said that girls are called in casinos, dance bars and hotels on the pretext of better jobs. After that they are forced for sexual activities. He said that the graph of smuggling in Goa is increasing rapidly. He said sustained police action is needed to rescue victims and prosecute clients and traffickers. If the police does not act now, then such crimes will increase rapidly.

Brokers are earning on a large scale

Pandey said, 'The last rescue took place in October 2022.' Girls are trafficked from outside Goa and brought for a period of one week to one month and commercially exploited sexually. Brokers charge Rs 10,000 to 25,000 per client. The pimp earns around Rs 1 lakh per day from each girl, but the girls are paid less than Rs 1,500 per client.

'Most of the women are from red light areas of Bengal'

Pandey said that many men dress like women and ask for customers. Mapusa has seen an increase from 7 girls to 70 girls in the last 3 years. Most of the women involved in prostitution are from the red light areas of Bengal. Girls and women are trafficked from Bengal in an organized manner. Pandey said the average rescue which used to be around 100 victims per year has gone down.

Questions raised on police action

The lack of police action has given a message to those involved in commercial sexual exploitation that Goa is a soft state. Sex trafficking is growing rapidly and getting organized. Rescue by police and registration of cases against smugglers will certainly send a strong message to those involved in these activities. Pandey said that it is a misconception that the police cannot rescue those involved in prostitution with their consent.