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Kandhamal (Odisha): Abject poverty is pushing many young girls from Odisha's Kandhamal
district, that witnessed terrible communal riots in August 2008,
into the sex trade. Girls from Kandhamal have been rescued from
the sex trade in Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and even as far off
as Kerala, activists say.
'The riots left hundreds of families homeless, forcing them to
move into relief camps. There were many families which were left
broken. As it is, the social economy of this place was not
good...the violence brought about more unemployment, pushing
people to the brink,' Hari Shankar Rout, a social activist working
in Kandhamal, told IANS.
'In the face of abject poverty, a number of young girls are
falling prey to sex trade, even in the (relief) camps. And the
biggest tragedy is that the parents' of these girls are in the
know, but are helpless,' he added.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from state capital of
Bhubaneshwar, witnessed widespread violence following the murder
of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader, Swami Laxmanananda
Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram in August 2008.
At least 38 people were killed and more than 25,000 Christians
were forced to flee after their houses were attacked by mobs that
held Christians responsible for Saraswati's killing, although the
police blamed the Maoists.
According to Rout, most of the women moving into sex trade are in
the age group of 15-30.
'The agent, or middleman, offers to pay the girl anywhere between
Rs.8,000-20,000 for a period of 45 days. In the face of poverty
and hunger, while the families may not voice their consent, they
remain quiet,' he said.
A number of girls are taken out of Odisha, to the nearby states of
Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, for sex trade, activists say. Cases of
trafficking are also on the rise.
A 2010 status report on the effects of the riot on the children of
Kandhamal by child rights organisation HAQ said: 'There is a lack
of a protective umbrella on these children, making them easy prey
to trade and trafficking.'
'Some of these children have already been forced to adulthood by
migrating to work outside the state, and cases of trafficking,
especially among young girls, are emerging everyday.'
'Criminal elements have started preying on the helpless women and
girls of the district (Kandhamal). The rescue of several such
girls from places as far as Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh just
reaffirms our fear that there is a rise in such cases,' Ajaya
Kumar Singh, a social worker in Bhubaneshwar, told IANS.
Rituparna Das, another activist, further claimed that there has
been a rise in cases of sex trafficking of young girls from
Kandhamal.
Meanwhile, there is a similar story unfolding in the nearby
district of Rayagada - a Maoist affected area.
According to social activists working here, young girls are being
knowingly let into the sex trade by their parents - both because
of poverty, and harassment in the hands of the Maoists.
'Poverty is an over reigning issue. But in Rayagada, families are
also scared that their child may be forced into Naxal activities,
or be sexually harassed by them. Hence, in a large number of
cases, the parents feel that it's better that they get into the
sex trade and go out of the state,' Prabhat Kumar Satpathy of the
NGO, Universal Service Organisation, told IANS.
'Around 80 percent of these girls are in the age group of 14-20,
and most of such cases are from the tribal dominated areas like
Chandrapur, Muniguda and Gurari,' he added.
The girls are offered a contract of 40 days - which includes 30
working days, one holiday and time off during their menstrual
cycle. They are paid around Rs.6,000, with 'perks' like a new set
of clothes and a trip to the movies.
'The girls have to entertain at least 10 clients a day. This has
become a cause of grave concern for us, and there is a constant
risk of high HIV prevalence,' Satpathy said.
More employment opportunities and an overall improvement in the
socio-economic status of the people in these places is the only
way to save them, activists conclude.
(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.rahman@gmail.com)
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