Punjabi girls, stuck in the quagmire of prostitution while searching for greener pastures across the seas, may soon find help coming their way. For, the Punjab NRI Commission has asked a three-member committee including a senior IPS officer to help them out.
The decision came after the UK police’s recently claims of having identified more than 600 such hapless girls from Punjab trapped in the flesh trade racket. Keeping in view the rise in girls from Punjab being forced into such wrong means in UK, some prominent Sikhs in UK and Sikh Sewak Society International, of late, has submitted a memorandum to Jalandhar Police Commissioner to check this trend and also to create awareness among the community about this “grim reality”.
The memorandum stated that some Sikh organisations are currently providing shelters and looking for suitable jobs for these hapless girls. The Punjab Government has been requested to provide grant-in-aid like “return-home expenses” to help those destitute, trafficked and vulnerable people from Punjab, who wish to return home.
Taking cognisance, the Commission has asked the panel to monitor the cause that is forcing these “hapless” girls into flesh trade, besides extending them required support. The Commission has also asked the panel to coordinate with the Central Ministries and the British High Commission. In addition to this, the Commission maintained that the Committee may also take up this issue with the Union Ministry of External Affairs and Union Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, other than the Social Welfare, Women and Child Welfare Committee of both the State and Central Government.
This is not all. The Commission wanted the panel to take up this issue with the urban local bodies, reputed public or private trusts, voluntary organisations dealing with women and children in need of care and protection, children in conflict with law etc as well. “This goes without saying that the Punjab Government should also contact the British High Commission and also Sikh Sewak Society International UK chairman Rajinder Singh Purewal to obtain detailed inputs for onward action relating to the present issue,” said Justice (retired) Arvind Kumar, NRI Commission chairman, in his order.
The order stated, “Keeping in view the alarming situation, we would appreciate that the State Government act swiftly and apprise this Commission about the action taken” on or before the next date fixed — January 31, 2014.
The Bench of Justice Kumar and S Chattopadhyaya asserted, “Trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation is an organised crime that violates basic human rights. This issue is challenging due to its myriad complexities and variation, poverty, low status of women, lack of protective environment are some of the causes for trafficking. This kind of trafficking involves not only single individuals but also cultural and folk troops, religious groups, sport teams along with their transnational connections and transnational syndicates.”
“To arrest trafficking, multi-sectoral approach is needed especially in vulnerable areas and sections of population. The Central as well as the State Governments need to explore the social, political, cultural and other factors which have promoted such human trafficking,” it added.
The Commission maintained that there is also a need for a comprehensive scheme for the prevention of such trafficking and for the rescue, rehabilitation and re-integration of the victims of trafficking; prevention of trafficking on one hand and rescue and rehabilitation of victims on the other hand. Suggesting preventive measures, the Commission opined social mobilisation, involvement of local communities, awareness generation programs by holding of workshops and seminars, street plays, puppetry, pamphlets and leaflets.
The Commission stressed on facilitating rescue of victims from the place of their exploitation and place them in safe custody, to provide rehabilitation services both immediate and long-term by providing basic amenities or needs such as shelter, food, clothing, medical treatment including counseling, legal aid and guidance and vocational training.
In addition, it asked to facilitate reintegration of victims into the family and society at large, besides facilitating repatriation of cross-border victims to their country of origin. A three-member committee has already been constituted on the similar lines on the Commission’s recommendations to investigate the mystery of multiple murders of Punjabis in Manila (Philippines) in the recent past.