ARUN PANDEY IS WORKING IN THE FILED OF REHABILITATION OF THE SEX WORKERS FOR MORE THAN TWO AND A HALF DECADE, AND HE WAS ALSO INSTRUMENTAL IN THE CLEANING OF BAINA RED LIGHT AREA IN VASCO DA GAMA. ACCORDING TO HIM, THE PROSTITUTION BUSINESS HAS BECOME MORE HI-TECH, AND THEY ARE NOW MAKING USE OF THE WEB FOR PROMOTING THE SEX TRADE….
An article with the title Web Luring Girls into Sex Trade was published by Times of India in their recent edition has made one thing clear that sex trade in the state has become more sophisticated compared to the past, and now catching hold of the culprits has become more difficult.
According to the sources, the websites offering escort services are increasing, and being used for the recruitment of an individual in the sex trade, claims one of the study conducted by Anyay Rahit Zindagi (ARZ) the nodal NGO for the integrated anti-human trafficking unit of Goa Police.
This NGO has done the study across 50 cities in the country, which also includes Goa, and It indicates that perpetrators are now adopting new digital technology for getting engaged into such immoral activities, and Goa being one of the most sought after tourism destination in the world, the use of websites for the commercial sex trade is much higher in the state compared to Mumbai and Delhi.
The study conducted by the NGO claims that a wide range of websites and social media platforms displaying the sexually explicit contents, soliciting customers for the purpose of commercial sex, and recruitment of sex workers. These websites were further examined on aspects which include the apparent purpose of the portal, nature of contents uploaded on the site, modus operandi, involvement of individual or group of people, monetary gains and target population (client/customer), claims the sources.
“If a customer visits Goa, and is looking for escort services, they don’t want to hunt for pimps. Instead, they just browse any of these websites and get a girl delivered at their doorstep,” Arun Pandey, director, ARZ told TOI.
According to Mr. Pandey, Goa police in process of blocking the websites but they have not become successful due to technical reason and that they have informed the same to the central government. “In the days ahead, it will a challenging task for law enforcement agencies as the perpetrators operating such websites cannot be traced,” Pandey said.
He highlighted one case study based on two individuals, Nisha and Ashu (names changed), who were interviewed after they were rescued in Goa. While searching for online escort services in Goa, they found a contact number of a person named Raj, who asked them to come to Goa. After the duo checked into a hotel, Raj telephonically directed them to visit clients for the purpose of commercial sexual activities. He would fix the deal by finalizing the amount to be paid, services to be provided, and place (hotel) of meeting the customers. The whole process between the operator and the girls was conducted through websites and mobile phones.
What is your opinion on this issue, do you think that the online portals will boost the prostitution in the state? Please leave your valuable comments on this serious issue.
SOURCE: TOI
