Delhi: Police gear up for influx of sex workers during CWG

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Police gear up for influx of sex workers during CWG

Agencies, Posted: Jul 11, 2010

New Delhi With the Commonwealth Games less than three months away, authorities

here are gearing up for a spurt in cases of prostitution and trafficking in

women.

A host of non-government organisations, tour operators and police department are

coordinating to keep tabs on the expected influx of sex workers.

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), an umbrella body of over 1,500

hotels, tour operators and lifestyle services providers, have asked the Tourism

Ministry to keep a check on such activities.

According to IATO president Vijay Thakur, " prostitutes from different foreign

nations masquerading as tourists would book short tours to India. As it is

difficult to restrict their entry at our end, we have recently asked Tourism

Ministry to keep a check on them. "

He disclosed that such sex workers come from countries like Ukraine, Georgia,

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Chechnya and Kyrgyzstan besides others.

" There is a need to check such activities and hotel owners should be vigilant "

he added.

Several NGOs too have warned the government that the Games, scheduled for

October 3-14, may be seen as a big opportunity for prostitutes to make quick

money.

" There is a huge possibility of trafficking in young girls from tribal areas in

West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka besides other

states, " said Rishikant, Convenor of an anti-trafficking NGO Shakti Vahini.

The NGO recently rescued young girls from Railway Stations and Inter State Bus

Terminals (ISBTs). " These girls are sold to touts in different brothels of

city's infamous G B Road area, " said Rishikant.

According to latest Home Ministry data, about 3,600 cases related to immoral

trafficking of women were registered by different state and Union Territory

police forces in 2007.

To check entry of foreign sex workers, some NGOs have " urged Union Health

Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to ensure

that visas are given only after checking HIV status of tourists. It will help in

checking prostitution and possible cases of STD (sexually- transmitted

diseases), " said Khairati Lal Bhola, President, Bhartiya Patita Uddhar Sabha, an

NGO working for the welfare of sex workers.

The GB Road area alone has 116 brothels with about 6,000 sex workers drawn from

India and some neighbouring countries. The Delhi Police says it is ready to

crack down.

" We are ready to check any cases of prostitution. We take adequate action as and

when cases of trafficking reported to us " , said Deputy Commissioner of Police

(Central) Jaspal Singh.

On its part, the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) is " planning to

install more condom vending machines and train volunteers to inform people about

the threat of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, " a NACO official said.

Just ten days ago, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram approved the setting up of

anti-human trafficking units in 335 police districts and Union Tourism Minister

Kumari Selja unveiled a code of conduct for the tourism industry aimed at

enhancing the safety and security of all tourists and freeing the sector from

exploitation

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