Human trafficking on the rise

Kadiri (Anantapur): NGO’s, people’s organisations and even the victims of sex trafficking are making a plea to the government to apply their mind on formulating a Rehabilitation Project for the economically vulnerable sections, who are falling prey to the sex traffickers in Kadiri town and surrounding areas.

Several women from economically weaker sections, especially Tribal communities, in Kadiri and surrounding  areas are becoming prey to sex trafficking

 Kadiri MLA Chand Basha told ‘The Hans India’ that a government committee involving DRDA, ICDS and local Tahsildar and other officials had been constituted to rehabilitate the women, who were forced into prostitution by vested interests.
 
Among public, Kadiri is viewed as red light town. ‘The government, instead of viewing the work as an act of anti-social elements or as a mere law and order problem, should focus on the problems of economically weaker sections and bring them out of the dungeons,” says Ramana, a functionary of an NGO to help sex workers.

 Sex trafficking of gullible women in the Kadiri circuit is taking a toll of innumerable girls and young women hailing from economically weaker sections particularly from the Sugali thandas (tribal hamlets). Sex trafficking of women has been thriving in Kadiri -Rayachoti- Karnataka border. Vulnerable women living in poverty are made targets to trap them into prostitution on the promise of providing jobs. 

Many such women are landing in the hell of prostitution dens. In some cases, close relatives are forcing women into prostitution. The women are either being sent to the red-light havens of Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and other places. REDS, an NGO is engaged in rescue and rehabilitation of the prostitutes. 

Its chief functionary Bhanuja told The Hans India that more than 848 girls are engaged in flesh trade in New Delhi, Pune, Kamatipura, Mandi, Thane of Mumbai and Sonaguchi in Kolkata and are languishing in brothels there. She says that in the past 333 women from the Kadiri circuit had been rescued from brothels of Bhiwandi, Delhi and Pune with the help of the police. 

Efforts are being made to rehabilitate rescued girl or woman. Bhanuja observed that unless the government viewed this as a major socio-economic problem, the problem will persist. 

Kadiri DSP Venkata Ramanjaneyulu identified 81 villages from where women went out of their villages for livelihood. They also prepared a data of women rescued from brothels in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune etc and their present status. The police, he says, are trying to solve the problem in a humanitarian and socio-economic angle.