The situation at Baina beach has been going from bad to worse with repeated human rights violations. Details are given below, as you read on the gravity of the situation and the need for urgent action will become clear. The last (and most recent) update below dated 9/1/04 gives an idea of the current situation. For more information contact Arz at 2519951, email <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
Update 1
Dear All,
Arz is a development organisation working to combat trafficking in humans at the Baina beach red light area.
This is in follow up of our meeting held in Panjim on 13/10/2003 regarding the situation at Baina red light area in the wake of the High Court Orders.
The situation is since worsened. Instead of the State taking the stand of rehabilitating those it is displacing, its law enforcement machinery is engaging in gross human rights violations and spreading terror in the area. There is an intensification of rights violations being carried on in the area to the extent that the police has cordoned off the area, is beating up helpless residents, has stopped the entry or selling of small hawkers on whom the prostituted women depend for their basic necessities, carrying out video filming within gallis and of the prostituted women, threatening the women to leave and are not allowing free movement of persons (including those belonging to families and not engaged in prostitution) in or outside the area and a near total stoppage of the entry of customers in the area. With restriction of essentials, restraining movement of women and girls, suspension of the earnings of the women here, without any information or access to any alternate means of earnings, and an overall terror being spread in the area, the situation here requires immediate attention for bringing about humane interventions for the people here.
Arz has worked at spreading appropriate awareness, quelling fear and confusion in the area and helping to keep the residents calm, despite provocation by the police. There are constant abuse and threats to members of the organisation and community that are endeavouring to bring about peace in the area and fights for the rights of the residents. The community residents have come together to form a collective called ‘Baina Mahila Mandal’ through which petitions have been sent to relevant bodies.
Persons outside of Baina beach have a different picture of the happenings at Baina beach as they are not in touch with the residents and their present experiences but are dependent on skewed media reports and hearsay.
Update 2
Happenings at Baina in the light of High Court Order Regarding Eviction/Rehabilitation
MEETING WITH D.I.G., GOA POLICE
On 16 December 2004, a meeting was held with Mr. Muktesh Chander, D.I.G Goa Police, wherein Arz voiced its concerns regarding the possible fallouts of ill implementation of the High Court Order. Concern was also voiced regarding the fear of causing further victimization of victims in the red light area if forced evictions were carried out without offers of sustainable rehabilitation. The DIG assured that the police would not be a cause for concern in this regard.
COMPLAINT OF VICTIM REGARDING THREATS TO LEAVE BY POLICE
On the same evening that assurance was provided by the DIG, a prostituted woman in the red light area registered a complaint regarding senior police officers who had visited the red light area threatening her to leave the area forcefully. She had a nine-month-old baby and did not have any family supports to rely on. She reported that she had been asked to board the next morning’s train to Andhra Pradesh and leave Goa.
Since then, women have not been forcefully asked to leave the red light area and go to other states but Arz and its staff has become the target of police.
ROLLING OF VIDEO CAMERA IN THE RED LIGHT AREA BY POLICE
On a number of occasions, police officers have been rolling a video camera in the red light area very often aimed at the prostituted women. This has resulted in raising panic in the area amongst women, caused them undue harassment and mental agony. It seems as if this was being done with the purpose of terrorizing the women so as to force them out of the area.
After a number of such incidents, women of the Mahila Mandal sent a petition to concerned bodies to request action to stop such unconsented filming by the police.
BANDOBAST BY ARMED GUARDS
The police have cordoned off the red light area wherein policemen with arms have been placed at various entry points to the area. This has been another effective means for terrorizing the women inside the red light area. No doubt, every year, around Christmas and New Years, police bandobast has been found to be necessary and has been placed effectively without causing terror to the women or harassment to the locals. This year however, the police are posted with arms, have created a near-stop for all customers thus stopping the earnings of the prostituted women and have not moved away until the 6th of January a practice not followed in the previous years.
FORMATION OF BAINA MAHILA MANDAL
In view of the situation, the community members of the red light area have come together to form a group to combat the injustice and rights violations being meted out against them, under the banner ‘Baina Mahila Mandal’, which consists of prostituted women, brothel keepers, room owners, shop keepers, family members not connected with prostitution and other residents of the red light area. A number of meetings were held wherein the High Court order and the Kamat Committee Report were discussed, situation in the red light area causing discomfort to the women were discussed and the various means to maintain calm in the area.
VISIT BY TEAM OF NGOs AND CONCERNED CITIZENS
On 29 December 2003, a group of NGOs and individuals visited Baina beach red light area. The members included representatives of Bailancho Ekvott, Bailancho Saad, Children’s Rights in Goa, Concerned Citizens of Vasco, Positive People, Christopher Fonseca of AITUC, Advocate Shanti Fonseca, Arz and various individuals. The members met residents of the red light area. The residents informed them that they were facing a sense of terror in the area and crisis of daily earnings and food due to certain actions of the police such as posting of armed guards at all entry points causing a near stop for all customers, restricting the entry of petty sellers of food and other necessities, carrying out video filming in the area by police, threats of false arrests for residents and members of local social work organisation. The women expressed their desperation at having reached a stage where they were facing a crisis due to being unable to support themselves or their children’s basic needs such as provision of food, paying school fees, rent, etc. The women informed that till date there is no information of any rehabilitation plans provided to them by the state. The residents expressed their dismay at being treated in this manner after having been long-term residents in this area and having no other place to resettle. Some residents mentioned that if displacement had to be done they should be first provided alternate livelihood options, shelter, education for children and other basic necessities. The members unanimously felt that this was a situation of gross human rights violations, expressed their solidarity and decision to provide support in the interest of the victims. They signed petitions to various concerned bodies in the responsible for the welfare and protection of its citizens. The members later called on the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mormugao subdivision and the Police Inspector, Vasco da Gama to register their disapproval of the actions of the police causing a sense of terror and human rights violations in the area.
MEETING WITH DIRECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE, GOA POLICE
The group of NGOs that visited the red light area visited the DGP, Goa Police to apprise him of the real situation inside the red light area and request him to intervene for a stop in terrorization and in human rights violations being effected due to certain actions of the police. There response received from the DIG was that the measures undertaken this year were with a view to arrest growing crime rates in the state and flush out criminals from the Baina red light area. There was no response to the plea to relax the non-release of customers and stopping of the earnings of prostituted women.
MEETING WITH GOA STATE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN
Arz met up with the Goa State Commission for Women in order to update them of the oppressive situation of the women and other residents inside the red light area and to appeal for catalyzing rehab initiatives before forced evictions could be effected. Arz also provided further information regarding organisations/initiatives in Andhra Pradesh that could be explored for rehabiliation.
FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING REHAB INITIATIVES TO COLLECTOR, SOUTH GOA
More information received from sources in Andhra Pradesh regarding services that can be offered to women desirous of rehabilitation, was supplied to the Collector South Goa for further action.
THE SITUATION NOW
The cordoning still continues, with customers being seldom let in, a majority of whom are allowed entry at the cost of a bribe to the police guards themselves. The near-stop of all customers is choking the source of earnings of prostituted women. This is creating a sense of desperation for basic survival whether for food or other basic necessities, especially amongst women with children. The helplessness began to compel women to move out of the area to bring customers, which posed them at immense risk as going to parts of the rest of society brought about intense anger from the general public. Newspapers reported the moving out of the prostituted women almost as a challenging move to the restrictions imposed by the police. There was no acknowledgement of the inhumanity of the sudden stop of the earnings of prostituted without any alternatives due to which they were forced to resort to means of survival that were actually creating a risk to themselves. There have been threats of arrest against members of the community who have attempted to assert their rights. Information has been provided to community members that complaints have been registered against the Arz Coordinator with a view to apprehend him and remove him from the area. Further, a lot of deliberate spreading of misinformation is being done inside the red light area in order to divide and break down the unity of Mahila Mandal group. Some of the divisive efforts of the police have paid of wherein women have given up on the movement to fight for their rights.
There has been no response to petitions alternatively made by the Mahila Mandal, Arz and the NGO team that visited the red light area which were sent to the various state and national bodies such as National Commission for Women, National Human Rights Commission, Chief Minister Goa, Chief Secretary Goa, Secretary Women & Child Welfare Department, etc.
UPDATE III 09 JANUARY 2004
Dear All,
This is an urgent update just to inform you of a development in the Baina beach red light area situation.
On the night of 08 January 2004, the Police Inspector Vasco da Gama police station has held a meeting in which women [brothel keepers, room owners and prostituted women] were called by the police to come to the Baina Police Outpost around 9.30 p.m.
Parts of the discussion of the Police Inspector with the members present, as shared by some of the members of the community, is as follows:
· Mr. Mahesh Gaonkar is said to have informed the group that he is in possession of the petitions signed by the community group complaining that he was responsible for video filming the women in the area and that he had the names of the women who have signed the petition. He showed copies of the petition to the women and called out the names of those who had signed the petition. This incident has terrified the women, especially those who have signed on the petition.
· Mr. Gaonkar also mentioned that he possessed copies of complaints made by individual members Anil and Shailaja. He asked Anil why he had made a complaint to which Anil said that when he threatened him, he reported the truth. The police inspector then further threatened him by telling him that the complaint was now in his possession and that now he would decide what to do. The police inspector mentioned that a girl Shailaja had also complained against him, which turned around the women present into believing that it was this complaint that had brought about police action. This infuriated them and they made plans to assault the girl.
· The women present apologized to the Police Inspector and requested him to remove the cordon and allow customers as they were starving.
· Mr. Gaonkar is said to have informed the women that the present situation had been created largely due to the social work organisation Arz and that the community should come together and get the organisation removed from the area. He is further said to have mentioned that he understood their situation of starvation being presently created and the need for them to earn, and that he had never in the past interfered in their lives. He is said to have further laid the condition that as long as Arz remains in the red light area, the present action of the police would continue.
· Mr. Gaonkar incited the group by telling them that it was the social work organisation that used to bring to them information of children in prostitution which made the police conduct rescue operations. He is said to have suggested that the women present should contact lawyers and should file complaints against the staff of Arz.
· Mr. Gaonkar further abused the women of the Kannad area. This is a group that did not attend the meeting and is unitedly taking stands against the human rights violations being perpetrated by the police.
· He mentioned that if people stopped going to the organisation Arz, he would help them.
There is further information from reliable sources that in the outer community of Baina, locals are being mobilized to back a move to evict the residents of Baina beach by force. The nature of anger being systematically built against the Baina beach red light area community by some political parties and the police inspector in the outer community amongst youth groups and common people is making the situation extremely volatile and can spark of violence or physical harm to the women.
Further, misinformation is being deliberately spread about the organisation Arz with the purpose of maligning the organisation and its staff and inciting the outer Baina local public against the organisation, such as spreading a message that Arz is the main hurdle for demolishment to take place. This is making Arz staff the target of the anger of the outside local people.
########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
