‘Cost-free visa, false job vows lure women to Gulf countries’

Panaji: Agents who traffic and exploit women under the pretext of providing jobs in gulf countries don’t charge them fees for visa and documentation, said Arz (Anyay Rahit Zindagi), Goa police’s nodal agency to rescue victims of commercial sexual exploitation. “We found around 10 cases in which victims were taken to Gulf countries and were sexually exploited as well as subjected to labour exploitation,” said Arz director Arun Pandey.

“We learned that agents do not charge any fees. We believe that at least to do visa and documentation work, agents would require to spend at least Rs 75,000.” He said that there is a need to find out how agents get their money for sending victims to the Gulf. He also said that most of the women do not want to complain to police as they are scared of the organised racket operating in the state. On Nov 18, Goa police arrested two individuals involved in human trafficking and exploiting women under the guise of providing employment opportunities in Muscat.

India has been a source for labour to the Middle East, Pandey said.

“Goa is no different,” he added. “In a recent case, we found that one girl was trafficked to the Middle East in the name of employment and then asked to engage in commercial sexual activity. Fortunately, she protested, and she saved herself. On her return, with the help of Arz, she approached the crime branch, and we registered a case and arrested two traffickers.”

“We believe that this is not an isolated case. Vulnerable girls and women are lured in the name of employment in the Middle East countries and then they become victims of unlawful labour and commercial sexual activities and many more,” Pandey said.

Arz has launched a programme called Pravas, which translates to ‘migration’.

“Our aim under the programme is to educate the vulnerable population about the information they should collect about the agent,type of employment, and country before they emigrate to the country for employment. Regarding this, we are going to slum areas and conducting sessions with the local population,” he said.