NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Andhra Pradesh has achieved the dubious distinction of leading the other states in trafficking in females, says a survey by Prajwala, a non-governmental organisation.
The survey reveals that a majority of females in the age group of 12 to 35 years in the red-light areas of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Goa are from AP.
In fact, an alarming 80 per cent of the women and girls engaged in flesh trade in Goa are from Andhra Pradesh. Forty-five per cent of the sex workers in Delhi, 28 per cent in Mumbai and three per cent in Kolkata hail from AP. The figures from Chennai and other cities are equally distressing.
The survey -- based on a study of inter-state trafficking in females -- is in the form of a book titled Shattered Innocence.
State Home Minister T Devender Goud had release the book on Wednesday.
Most of the girls pushed into prostitution are in the age group of 12 to 13 years and they are lured by touts with promises of career and marriage.
The "catchment" areas for the racketeers include almost all the 23 districts spread across coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana regions.
The study explains that 80 per cent of the victims belong to socially and economically disadvantaged families. Seventy per cent of them hail from backward and drought-prone areas and a whopping 85 per cent of them are illiterate.
"Economic hardships, coupled with the prevailing status of women and girls in the society, the caste structure and the overall negative attitude towards the girl child make the victims vulnerable and create the context for the flourishing of sexual exploitation.
"The victims not only face the danger of being psychologically abused, but also the reality of being infected with HIV/AIDS. It is also likely that they will become procurers after a few years of victimisation," the study says.
Dr Sunitha Krishnan, who has co-authored the study along with Jose Vetticatil, says, "The study provides a perspective on inter-state-trafficking and its pattern, the trauma that the victims go through in the process of trafficking, and the state's response. The findings indicate lack of anti-trafficking initiatives in Andhra Pradesh."
The study presents several case studies and makes a series of recommendations for prevention, rescue, rehabilitation of victims and creation of a state-level body to coordinate and converge the activities of several departments for elimination of trafficking.
Prajwala is engaged in rescuing and rehabilitating victims of flesh trade. This voluntary organisation, located in the Old City of Hyderabad, has Vetticatil as its president and Dr Krishnan as general secretary.
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
