need for police coordination

[Guest guest]

Dear Folks,

it is absolutely essential to seek the cooperation fo the police force with our

work be in HIV/AIDS prevention or trafficking. We have been having a bitter

experience in te past so much so that soon after our advocacy meeting with the

IGP there would be an immidiate raid in the brothel whcih would bring about a

misunderstanding between SFDRT and the community. Following this attitude we

stopped interacting with them for some time. But on the contrary a few days back

SFDRT was rendered a red carpet welcome by the current IGP Mr. Sinha IPS and the

Police nodal officer for anti trafficking at Pondicherry. Our continuous effrot

has at last been recognised wherein the follwoing serivces were rendered

immidiately to us for our future work with the sex workers in the brohtel:

* The first week of wvery month the Supt. of POlice and his SHO of the three

police stations surrounding the brothel area would meet with the important staff

of SFDRT and reveiw the joint efforts put in by both and the future work will be

planned towards the betterment of the sex workers and their families. The

reasons for sex workers to carry on with this profession was analyzed and

understood to leave them alone and concentrate more on preventing new entries

into the profession and resuce the minors involved only with the sole help of

SFDRT as an NGO. The rescue and rehabilitaion services will be jontly planned by

both the NGO and the police force keeping in mind the betterment of the sex

workers and their lives; the concentration would therefore be asolutely on the

minors joint rescue with absolute follow up depending on the needs of the minors

involved by making sure of their comfort level;

* The police beat of two such constables sent every day to the brothel and there

by money demanded was promised to be stopped immidately;

* For the past 6 years SFDRT had been doing efficient service in the prison with

the female inmates on sex and sexuality and preventive efforts with the sex

workers but was forced to be discontinued due to the then controversies over

religious conversion that involved the prison authorities there after SFDRT with

all its efforts tried for a reentry but in vain; this meeting with the IGP

solved the same with the re entry assured within a weeks time by SFDRT;

* Training and refresher coureses for the police constables and officers were

allowed to SFDRT to be efficiently handled with followup ( the first such course

was conducted very successfully on the 30th of July 2002) whcih was tried hard

by SFDRT for the past 6 years gained entry with the confidnece of the police on

the NGO themselves;

* The police came forward to render their services to help the children of sex

workers (eg. to render their van to drop and pick up kids to school and back)

especially with that of education so that new entries by minors can be curtailed

to an extent; they were willing to coach the pimps on wolley ball and basket

ball etc. so that the youth group can take part at the state level which will

give them dignity and motivation;

Last but not least SFDRT was asked to give in writting what are the other needs

and joint efforts of the police needed so that we could be a role model for the

other states wherein joint efforts could work with wonders...so folks go ahead

and work out your efforts so as to minimize the violence rendered by the police.

Regards

shyamala ashok

sfdrt - pondicherry

E-mail:<aabinand@...>

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