Andhra Pradesh stands second in the country in human trafficking with 14.73% of sex workers operating in about 12 States and territories across the country, according to a recent survey conducted by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
West Bengal was in top position with more than 15% of girls and women being supplied to different States across the country, according to AP Mahila Commission member S. Rajyalakshmi.
According to the data, 144 anti-human trafficking cases were registered in the State in 2014, 145 in 2015, 138 last year and 32 cases were booked in the last six months this year.
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As many as 939 missing minor girl cases have been reported since January this year.
“Police rescued 800 girls, all aged below 16 years, and the Crime Investigation Department (CID) police were directed to detect the remaining cases,” says Director General of Police N. Sambasiva Rao.
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Alarming figures
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Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) working on human trafficking, particularly in girl trafficking, say that 27.41% of the family members are forcing the victims into flesh trade, 18.40% of known persons are abetting crime, 9.31% of strangers are pushing the victims into prostitution and 43% of them are going into flesh trade voluntarily.
About 85% of sex workers operating in Goa and 38% workers in the red light area in Mumbai are from Andhra Pradesh, according to the survey of an NGO.
Help, an NGO working on human trafficking, director N.V.S. Rammohan said that East Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Visakhapatnam, Prakasam, Kurnool, Anantapur and Chittoor are the hotspots for trafficking, and Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam are the major transit centres in the State.
“Young girls supplied by pimps in Andhra Pradesh are slogging in brothels in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Karnataka and other States and the neighbouring districts in the State,” Mr. Rammohan said while speaking at a State-level conference on rehabilitation of trafficking victims, organised in connection with the World Day Against Human Trafficking on July 30.
“I was forced into prostitution by a madam, who rescued me when I came out of home due to family problems. I was shifted to brothel dens in different States. Finally, police caught me and admitted me in an NGO home. Many young girls, aged between 10 and 15 years are in the brothels,” a victim who attended the conference said.