‘Aid to sex trafficking victims ineffective’

In the five vigilance homes functioning in the State for rehabilitating victims of sex trafficking, they are given medical aid and trained in vocational activities, before being sent back to their original homes. 

However, the stigma attached to the victims and the floating nature of the trafficked population make it difficult to trace them later, admits a source from the Department of Social Defence. 

A source says, “They are treated as victims by the court after being rescued by the police, and when the court issues an order to compensate them with Rs. 10,000, reaching out to them with the money is a herculean task. Most often, we have only their temporary contact numbers as they don’t wait for long to change it after they go away from here. Add to this the stigma they face, and acceptance by their family becomes a big question. Locating them, therefore, becomes impossible for us in most cases.”

Isabel R, executive secretary at the Madras Christian Council of Social Service (MCCSS) that has partnered with the Central government under the Ujjawala scheme to rehabilitate trafficked victims, points out that the challenges are here to say. 

Mentioning how Chennai has become a major pulling factor, Isabel says, “With migration comes the problem of trafficking. There is exploitation, and since it is easy for them to get lost in the city, the city is going to see even bigger trafficking.” 

The NGO officer also adds that there is a very thin line between trafficking and commercial sex work. “Initially, when they are pushed into the trade, they might be trafficked, but with time, some get emboldened. We can only rehabilitate those who want to, and not those who are willing to continue [with the activity],” she adds. 

She also points out that while since the pulling factor was now known, the pushing factor, too, should be tracked and dealt with. “What about the relatively poorer delta districts, where the victims are in the making due to lack of opportunities? Are we doing anything to prevent them,” she asks.