GOA SEES SOME PROGRESS IN FIGHTING SEX TRAFFICKING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MUMBAI 000541

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM KWMN KFRD PHUM SMIG ELAB IN
SUBJECT: GOA SEES SOME PROGRESS IN FIGHTING SEX TRAFFICKING

REF: 06 NEW DELHI 7078


1. (U) Summary: In a series of recent meetings in Goa,
interlocutors told Congenoff that the enactment of the Child
Rights Act and the demolition of the red light district in 2005
have helped to reduce the visibility of the problem of sex
trafficking in Goa. Social activists in Goa also reported that
police are responsive in interceding in suspected pedophilia
cases. In addition, tourism industry representatives expressed
their commitment to prevent hotels from being used for sex
trafficking, but acknowledged that private homes rent out space
used by those determined to circumvent the law. However, NGOs
noted that these efforts have forced the industry to
decentralize and relocate, making it more difficult to estimate
the size of the problem. Nevertheless, prosecutions of suspected
sex traffickers and the rehabilitation of victims remains the
biggest challenge in fighting this problem, as it is elsewhere
in India. End Summary



Vacation Destination Goa

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2. (U) Goa is a small state of 1.35 million people, a former
Portuguese colony until its annexation by India in 1961. It is
famed as a popular beach destination with Westerners -
especially Europeans and Russians - but in recent years, the
majority of Goa's tourism dollars come from domestic travelers.
Almost 2.5 million tourists per year visit Goa, of which 15
percent are foreign tourists. At 42 percent of the tourist
arrivals, Britons are the largest group, followed by Russians at
8.5 percent. While officials at the Goa Chamber of Commerce say
that tourism has not yet been affected by the global economic
downturn, there is likely to be a slowdown in the winter high
season which begins in November.



Cleaning its Image - Relocating the Problem

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3. (U) In the past few years, Goa has made concerted efforts
to erase its image as a destination for the sex trade. While
there have been some high-profile arrests of foreigners for
pedophilia, there is no agreement on how severe or widespread
this problem is. In 2005, the Goa police bull-dozed the major
red-light district, known as Baina. Since then, police say
there has been a major reduction in sex trafficking in the city,
as measured by the number of police raids: according to the
police, there were 34 raids in 2005, 10 in 2006, and 9 in the
first half of 2008.




4. (U) Nevertheless, the sex industry still exists in Goa,
largely catering to locals, Indian domestic tourists and those
foreigners determined to seek out the illicit trade.
Interlocutors told CongenOff during an October 24 visit that the
sex trade has decentralized, making it harder to reach out to
trafficked women to rescue them or provide health services.
Nishtha Desai of Children's Rights in Goa (CRG) said the sex
traffic has relocated, but doubts it has reduced substantially.
The sex trade is now plied in railway and bus stations, truck
depots, male beauty salons and market areas. This change mirrors
the shift seen in Mumbai, even though Mumbai still has an active
red-light district.




5. (U) According to local contacts, Goans have made concerted
efforts to eradicate the sex trade from their community.
Hoteliers, NGOS and Sanjeev Gadkar, Head of the Directorate of
Women and Child, agreed that the 2005 Child Rights Act of Goa,
which attacks both commercial sex trafficking and pedophilia,
has helped to curb sex trafficking in the state. The Child
Rights Act provides for penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment
and a fine of 200,000 rupees (about $4000) for the sexual
assault of a child, and bans bringing children into a hotel
unless by a blood relative. The Act makes hotels responsible
for the safety of children on their premises, including
adjoining beaches, with the owners and managers held personally
liable. The Act also requires police to remove children from
any exploitative setting and ensure their rehabilitation.
Street children are required to be placed in a state shelter and
provided rehabilitation. The enactment of the Child Rights Act
was brought about by the joint efforts of police and child

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advocates. Gadkar noted that Community sentiment against
prostitution and child sexual abuse, together with giving the
police effective tools to disrupt the trade, have made a visible
difference in Goa.




6. (U) Gadkar said he did not believe that victims of sexual
exploitation were brought to Goa through violent means. He
noted that most of the women in the sex trade were forced into
the trade by poverty; some, he said, were tricked into leaving
their homes by "boyfriends" who then got them involved in
prostitution. Desai of CRG told CongenOff that children
involved in the sex trade often came to Goa with their families
who were economic migrants: while parents were working in hotels
or farms, the children, left unattended on the beaches, became
prey for pedophiles. Much of CRG's efforts involve outreach to
migrant communities, canvassing beaches for children at risk of
exploitation, advising parents of the risks to their children if
they hang out on the beaches, and offering alternative
activities for youth to keep them away from sexual predators.



Hotels Share Fight Against Sex Trafficking

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7. (U) Despite the Child Rights Act, and the efforts of many
community activists, hoteliers acknowledge, however, that
determined perpetrators continue to find other means to pursue
their activities. Hoteliers in the Goa Chamber of Commerce
explained to CongenOff the various means used by the hotel to
dissuade guests from bringing prostitutes onto their premises,
and halting the activity if discovered, but they readily
acknowledge that tourists determined to find illicit sex in Goa
will circumvent the law by renting space in private homes where
the police do not conduct raids. Hoteliers told CongenOff that
a dictate from the state government, designed to curb terrorism,
requires that every hotel guest present a photo ID at the time
of check-in, and that the hotels are required to fax a copy of
the registration card for any foreigner to police within 24
hours of the guests' arrival. Gadkar said that DCWD runs a media
campaign through the hotels to stop prostitution. According to
hoteliers, if the hotel learns that a registered guest has a
visitor in the room, the front desk or security calls the room
to ask that the other person be registered as well, which
discourages use of the hotel premises for sexual exploitation.
The hoteliers said their staffs are very concerned about child
abuse and have called in the police when they suspect a guest
has brought in a minor not his child. The police respond
immediately by sending investigators to the hotel.




8. (U) Interlocutors also insisted that Goans are more
proactive than Indians who live in other parts of the country
and will call the police if they suspect a child is at risk;
neighbors report suspected abuse by others in their neighborhood
or suspicious behavior they note in public. Gadkar added that
the exposure and identification of areas known for prostitution
in the media have made it more difficult for sex traffickers to
operate in Goa. However, local reporters in Goa noted to
CongenOff that reporting on known traffickers or leaders of
prostitution rings risks retaliation or intimidation.



Prosecutions Remain Difficult

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9. (U) According to CRG, the victimization of children by
pedophiles is a bigger problem than sex trafficking; in both
cases, prosecutions are rare. While police and the community,
working together, have had some success in foiling prostitution,
there has not been a concomitant success in the prosecution of
cases. CRG said prosecutions often fall apart when the victim
recants their story or refuse to testify. CRG claims that
police are reluctant to hold tourists in custody pending
investigation, as they might for an Indian suspect, for fear of
creating a diplomatic incident. By the time police complete
their investigation, the perpetrator has often absconded.
Forensic tests often take several months for results to be
returned to the police; by then the perpetrator is safely back
home and the prosecution cannot move forward. Under the Child
Rights Act of Goa, child sexual abuse by a tourist is a
non-bailable offense. According to the hoteliers, police are

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reluctant to take actions that may impair the tourism trade for
the resorts. CRG representatives suggested that the police
institute a witness protection-like program for victims. They
also suggested that Interpol should share information with the
Indian police regarding known or suspected pedophiles and others
convicted of illegal sexual predatory practices to prevent them
from coming to India. (Note: India is a member of Interpol, but
it is not clear how this information is shared with local police
throughout India. End note.)



Limited Rehabilitation Capacity

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10. (U) Gadkar said that most of the women picked up in police
raids are repatriated to their home towns where possible, as Goa
has not had great success with shelters for such women. There
is little funding for rehabilitation and while the state
provides clothing, food and security, the women have no income
and often return to sex work. Some women have been able to take
part in rehabilitation programs which often help women run small
businesses from their homes, but those opportunities are rare.
One such rehabilitation center is Swift Wash, a commercial
laundry run by the NGO ARZ for women rescued from sex work.
There, women from Goa - and women from outside the state who now
have local families - are provided employment and a full
economic and psychological support network. The state usually
returns minors to their parents, but if they cannot be safely
returned home, Goan officials acknowledge that there are no
viable options for rehabilitating minors in shelters in the
state. The minors picked up in prostitution raids or from
pedophiles are sheltered temporarily at a state home for
orphans, according to Gadkar.




11. (U) Comment: Goan interlocutors expressed a commitment to
addressing the problems of commercial sexual exploitation and
sexual victimization of children. Hoteliers and the tourism
industry as a whole have become valuable partners in these
efforts. Locals also cite Goa's high literacy rate and levels
of education as one reason for the success of these awareness
campaigns. (According to state statistics, 82 percent of Goans
are literate, compared to India's national average of 61 percent
literacy.) Despite these efforts, prostitution continues in
Goa, albeit in less visible locales; as with Mumbai, the
industry is able to adapt and relocate, making it difficult to
estimate and evaluate the extent of the problem. With its small
size and resources, the state has also not used its resources to
develop rehabilitation centers, relying on the goodwill of local
NGOs. End Comment
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