MARGAO
On International Day against Human Trafficking, women activists have expressed concern over commercial sexual activities taking place in apartments and residential areas, even as an appeal was made to the people of Margao in particular and South Goa in general not to allow the immoral business to make its base down South.
Speaking at a programme organised by Rotary Club of Margao Midtown in collaboration with Rotaract Club of Margao Midtown and Ravindra Bhavan, Margao to celebrate International Day against Human Trafficking here on Friday, the women activists expressed concern that Goa was now being projected as a sex destination along with sun & sand.
Participating in the discussion, coordinator of Vasco-based ARZ NGO, Juliana Lohar said analysis of the statistics have revealed that girls are being trafficked into Goa from as many as 24 states, besides the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Nepal. “There’s an organized gang involved in trafficking of girls from these states into Goa for commercial sexual activities. This is being carried out as there’s a demand created in Goa, which is now being portrayed as a place for sexual purpose. The two SSs Sun and Sand is now getting lost and Goa is now being portrayed as a sex destination”, she added.
Saying that commercial sexual activities are now taking place in residential areas, Juliana recalled a recent raid by the Crime branch into a residential locality, wherein it was found that the activity was being conducted in an organized manner. We now find in Goa that the activity is now slowly moving in residential areas”, she said.
Talking about Margao, the state’s commercial capital, Juliana said people do find movement of someone on the streets, with the clients taking the customers into low cost lodges. She, however, said the phenomenon of massage parlours and the proximity of Margao close to the coast make the town prone to commercial sexual activity. “We say that South Goa is safe, but if we don’t speak up now, South Goa might become like North, wherein this organized crime will also affect the local girls”, she said, adding that the people inhabiting the commercial capital should come together how to make Margao safe and prevent unscrupulous people from making the town as a commercial sex activity.
Women activist Lorna Fernandes highlighted how websites is portraying Goa as a sex destination, adding that the authorities must move in to stop these websites.
