[Reader-list] Stuck in traffic

Thu Feb 2 13:54:26 IST 2006

Stuck in traffic
Peter de Souza & Preetu Nair
(The article appeared in GT Weekender, Panjim edition,
January 29, 2006)

An National Human Rights Commission report conducted
by the Institute of Social Sciences on trafficking of
women and children in India 2002-2003", reveals that
Goa has the highest levels of trafficking of women and
children compared to other states. Peter De Souza and
Preetu Nair goes behind the statistics and zero's in
on the men and women who add to the traffic on Goa's
sex highway. And it's piling up. Tragically there are
no rules or committed policemen to even control, far
less eradicate this jam that is ruining our land 
Calangute/ Colva: Welcome to the kingdom. This is not
quite the Alice in Wonderland and this story does not
go through the rabbit hole but it sure does go through
a hell hole, and there is no mad hatter's tea party
but surely a crazy sex party. This is not a fairy tale
for children Coz there are no fairies or fairy
Godmothers, just trafficking women who pose as
mothers.
And unlike Alice in Wonderland, where a rabbit leads
Alice to the fascinating adventure, in Goa, you have
characters like "The Jackal", "Sex" and "Hoyo" who
perform a medley of vice and torture, to take Goa to
the top of charts in India's sex traffic map.
Trafficking has acquired grave dimensions in the state
after Baina demolition (Red light area in Vasco
demolished in 2004). The trafficker is no more a
gharwali or brothel keeper and there is more
sophistication, complexity and consolidation of
trafficking networks. Further, sex tourism has
generated a high demand for virgin girls and young
children. 
Many tourists now demand young children, in view of
the popular myth that sex with virgins can cure them
of HIV and other serious diseases. Besides, it is
reliably learnt that the pain that the children
undergo during intercourse, gives the abuser the
thrill. Sadly enough, though sex tourism and related
trafficking of women and children is increasing, what
is shocking is the response of the concerned agencies,
which has adopted a lackadaisical attitude and shows
no will to combat sex tourism. 
Our investigations revealed that organised crime of
trafficking revolves around two master traffickers:
Carlos, the Jackal in North Goa and Raju in South Goa.
At the moment they are arch manipulators, chief
profiteers, master criminals and the kingpin of the
entire trafficking operations in the state. But they
manage and modulate all activities and transactions in
such a way that they remain unnoticed. Further, GT
investigations reveal that to ensure that the trade
goes on unhindered, they pay the police and
politicians not only in cash but also in kind, which
often includes allowing 'free sex' with the trafficked
victims. 

Meet the merchants of the human trade in Goa: 
	Carlos, the Jackal, who hails from Pomburpa had
escaped from judicial local-up at Margao somewhere in
August. He has 150 cases of extortion and robbery at
almost all police stations in Goa. And it is reliably
learnt that he strengthened his flesh trade operations
while in jail. 
At the moment he is living and operating from a huge
rented house in Ucassaim, which surrounded by thick
forest. His modus operandi is simple: He purchases
Lamani, Rajasthani children, children of rag pickers
and even from as far as Orissa, Bihar and Tamil Nadu
between the ages of eight and twelve for Rs 30,000 or
even less through unscrupulous agents whom he had met
in jail. These children are trafficked to Goa by a
woman, who poses to be the child's mother, to escape
the clutches of the law. Once in Goa, the children are
handed over to Carlos's accomplice, a woman nicknamed
Hoyo from Anjuna. Hoyo, a sex worker, supplies these
kids to foreigners from Anjuna, Calangute and
Sinquerim. These children are sent as a helping hand
along with a woman (who claims to be their mother),
who is also incidentally in the flesh trade, as a
maid. The charge per child ranges from $ 1000 to 2000
a month. Younger the child, higher the price. But the
child only gets mere Rs 2000 to 3000 for his services,
while the fictitious mother gets Rs 5,000. Carlos and
his gang members share the rest. 

Our investigations reveal that in Calangute and
Sinquerim alone there are at least forty rich and
elderly foreigners who openly live with children and
click pornographic pictures. Though Carlos is the most
wanted criminal in Goa, he moves around freely on a
Yamaha bikes, without any fear of the police or child
activists. 
	Raju's operations are almost similar to Carlos. But
his earning per child is almost double than that of
Carlos. Just like Carlos, Raju also purchases children
between the age of eight and eleven from Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for Rs 30,000 or less and
trafficks them to Goa through a fictitious mother. His
main accomplice is not a woman; but a man, a shack
owner in Colva nicknamed Sex. Sex's job is to provide
bikes and young children to foreigners and he carries
on with his trade without any hindrance, as his
godfather is a top and controversial politician from
South Goa. 
While Raju hails from Tamil Nadu and stays in Colva-
Betalbatim and looks after a foreigner's bungalow, Sex
hails from Potwado, Colva. They also have an Italian
partner, who runs a prominent Italian restaurant near
the fish market in South, and has connection with rich
foreign tourists along the entire beach belt in the
South. Sex takes children in a large vehicle with
tinted glasses to the Italian, who in turn supplies
them to rich foreigners, including Europeans and
Arabs. 
When contacted Santosh Vaidya, Secretary, Women and
Child said that he was not aware of these illegal
operators. But he admitted that trafficking is a
really a matter of concern. "That's why we had brought
the Goa Children's Act which clearly defines
trafficking. After the Act was introduced, there has
been a check on trafficking. But also a co-ordinated
action is required from everyone," admitted Vaidya. 
"We have not heard of them, not at least by these
names. Illegal trafficking of girls and children for
the flesh trade is not high in Goa. Delhi is way ahead
of Goa. I talk about this from experience," added DIG
Ujjwal Mishra. 

Goa serves as a source, transit and destination where
thousands of young girls and children are exploited
day in and day out. Often, the actors in the
trafficking network collaborate and protect each
other. Just check out the types of prostitution
phenomenon in Goa and the traffickers: 

TYPES OF PROSTITUTION PHENOMENON IN GOA
	Brothel based prostitution: Baina & Margao
	Street based prostitution: Vasco, Margao, Colva,
Panjim, Calangute, Anjuna
	Hotel based prostitution: All over Goa 
	Vehicle based prostitution: North & South Goa
tourist belt

Traffickers
	Brothel keepers previously operating in Baina
	Few pilots ( Two wheeler taxi) and taxi owners
	Few hotels and lodges in the tourist areas and on
the highways - Karwar, Molem & Sawantwadi 
It is generally believed that trafficking is driven by
a demand for women's and children's bodies in the sex
industry, fuelled by a supply of women and children
denied equal rights and opportunities. But trafficking
is not just limited to flesh trade. Check out the
trafficking in its manifestations: 

1. Trafficking for sex-based exploitation, i.e. for
brothel based and non-brothel based commercial sexual
exploitation, pornography, paedophilia, sex tourism,
mail-order bride system, disguised sexual abuse in the
garb of massage parlours, beauty parlours, bartending,
friendship clubs. 

2. Trafficking for non-sex-based exploitation,
including a vast area of servitude, slavery and
exploitation, either as bonded or forced labour or
using them as drug peddlers, for begging, giving in
adoption, trading in human organs, trafficking for
false marriages and other similar exploitative
practices. 

The study, "A report on trafficking of women and
children in India 2002-2003", reveals that Goa has the
highest levels of trafficking of women and children
compared to other states. However, though inter-state
trafficking is high, the intra-state trafficking is a
minimal with only 0.6 percentage, just as in the case
of Delhi.
The study commissioned by National Human Rights
Commission was carried out with the support of UNIFEM
and conducted by the Institute of Social Sciences
(ISS) also confirms that trafficking, though not
reported from many places, is happening almost
everywhere. 
Based on primary data collected through interviews of
4006 persons in 13 states and Union Territories,
including victims, exploiters and perpetrators, the
study encompasses major areas of trafficking. On one
hand, the study confirmed that majority of trafficked
persons are girl children and on the other hand it
negated certain popular myths that the clientele who
visit the brothels or abuse trafficked girls are men
who live away from their families and, therefore, look
for options to satisfy their sexual urges. 
"The exploitation of women and children takes place
not only before trafficking, but also during
trafficking and after trafficking. The rights of the
trafficked persons are violated with impunity. They
are subjected to physical and emotional harm from
sexual assault to economic deprivation, and violation
of human dignity," the study reveals. 
What is shocking is that even the post-trafficking
scenario finds the victim at the end of the tunnel,
with almost no hope of survival. The victim is
subjected to different types of conceivable and
inconceivable acts of perversion and exploitation.
Further, the law enforcement, in most places, violates
the rights of victims as the common practice is to
arrest, chargesheet, prosecute and convict the
trafficked victims, the study confirmed. 
"Even in Goa the target of action is not the
traffickers but the trafficked victims. Statistics
reveal that most of the offences booked under ITPA
relates to sec 7 and 8 are against trafficked victims
and not against the traffickers. Trafficked victims
are arrested but no customer, pimp, transport agent,
lodge owner, hotel owner, taxi owner, etc are
arrested, though the law is very clear that those who
commercialize prostitution and those who benefit from
the earning from prostitution are committing an
offence", said Arun Pandey, ARZ, who conducted the
study for ISS in Goa.

NAME: CARLOS, THE 'JACKAL' 
Hails from : Pomburpa
Now lives in : Huge Rented House in Ucassaim,
Violation: 15O Cases of  Extortion and Robbery
Traffic Operation: buys children from Rajasthan,
Orissa and Bihar for Rs 30,000 each who are trafficked
to Goa by a woman posing as their mother 
Preferred vehicle: Yamaha bike
Traffic partner: Hoyo, a woman

Name : HOYO
Lives in: Anjuna
Occupation: Sex worker cum Trafficker
Traffic operation: Supplies Children to foreigners
from Anjuna, Calangute and Sinquerim. Children are
sent with a woman (who claims to be their mother). 
Traffic 'toll tax' to be paid by customers: $ 1000 to
2000 a month. Child gets a mere Rs 2000 and the
"mother", Rs 5000

NAME: RAJU
Hails from: Tamil Nadu
Now lives in: Colva-Betalbatim
Traffic operation: Buys children between the age of
eight and eleven from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh for Rs 30,000 or less and traffick's them to
Goa through a fictitious mother 
Traffic partner: A Shack owner called 'sex'. (Yes you
read it right)

NAME: SEX
Hails from: Potwado, Colva
Traffic operation: Takes children in a large vehicle
with tinted glasses to an Italian, who in turn
supplies them to rich foreigners, including Europeans
and Arabs. 
Traffic partner: THE ITALIAN who runs a prominent
Italian restaurant near a fish market in South Goa

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