SAFFRON ECONOMIC SURVEY

IGNORING ALL the Goan NGOs including organisations like ARZ which have been working for the relief and rehabilitation of the sex workers of Baina. The government of Goa entrusted the task of conducting socio economic survey to Sangh Pariwar affiliated organisation, Mhalgi Prabodhini Centre for Planning and Development, from Pune.

The result has been a shallow insensitive unprofessional survey based on interviews with only 271 commercial sex workers and brothel keepers out of a total of 425 estimated to be functioning in Baina. The organisation does not explain how it arrived at a figure of 425 commercial sex workers and the logic of classifying brothel keepers as commercial sex workers. And obviously who ever prepared the interim report is weak in maths. The survey claims to have covered 85 % of the CSWs even though it admits that it could contact only 271 of the estimated 425 CSWs which works out to a percentage of 63 %.

Apparently the Sangh Pariwar Organisation from Pune only spoke to commercial sex workers who had been issued registration certificates by the Murmagao Municipal Council. It is not known on what basis the Murmagao Municipal Council issued registration certificates. Curiously the survey itself claims that 44 commercial sex workers were not issued registration certificates by the Murmagao Municipal Council. The interim report interestingly recommends that the MMC should stop registration of new entrants into the business.

The organisation entrusted with the survey obviously knows little or nothing about devdasi or commercial sex workers. The survey claims that most of the sex workers from Karnataka are devdasis. It further adds that they started out as contract labour in the Port and then began the side business of satisfying the sexual desire of other new comers to the area. Obviously the agency does not know the difference between the lamanis who form the bulk of construction workers and the devdasis.

The interim report betrays its insensitivity to those who were entrusted with the responsibility of conducting a study on. Referring to the commercial sex workers from Andhra the interim report claims that the Andhra sex workers are more aggressive and paint their faces to entice customers.

The interim report itself admits that there are 55 small business establishments in the Baina area including grocery and general stores, hotels, tailoring shops and even a jewellery shop. The survey acknowledges that many of the sex workers have invested upto 50,000 Rupees each on their shops. These shops were also demolished even though the High Court order was limited to the cubicles used by the commercial sex workers.

The survey admits that the sex workers were reluctant to give up prostitution because income from other business would be less than their present work. Many sex workers also told the organisation that they were not capable of doing any other work and given their background nobody would give them a job. It was clear from the survey itself that sex workers were not interested in the rehabilitation package which would give them a token amount of Rs. 500 that was offered to them by the social welfare department. The government does not seem to have paid much attention even to the unprofessional survey conducted by the saffron organisation. It also seems to ignore the warning that action should not be taken in a haphazard manner. Contrary to the suggestion of the agency that all CSWs should be kept together in transit camps after closure of the red light area the government, agencies forced the sex workers to disburse all over Goa instead of keeping them together as recommended.

The demolition was launched even though the final report was not submitted by the agency. Though the agency conducted a survey it had not prepared a rehabilitation plan. The rehabilitation plan was apparently prepared by the social welfare department without consulting either the State Woman Commission or he NGO s who have been working in Baina.

HIGH COURT DIRECTIVES

1. The State Government is directed to take steps based on the report of the Inquiry Committee headed by Justice Kamat (Retd) appointed by the National Commission for Women and forwarded by letter of January 8, 2000 to the extent it is within the jurisdiction of the State Government and submit compliance report.

2. Take steps to effectively implement the Judgment of the Apex Court in Gaurav Jain Vs. Union of India and ors. 1997 (8) SCC 114 to the extent it is not yet implemented.

3. Considering the finding of the Committee that 250 cubicles are being used for carrying on sex trade, and the objection by the local community the District Collector of the concerned area is directed to take steps alongwith other concerned officers under the provisions of I.T.P.A. or the other relevant laws to close down the said cubicles by following the due process of law.

A. If the said 250 cubicles constructions are illegal and on the government or land belonging to local authorities then to take steps to evict the illegal occupants and then demolish them by following due process of law.

4. The State Government also to take adequate steps to prevent the CSWs being brought into the State of Goa on contract basis as noted by the Justice Kamat Commission.

5. Since the Commercial Sex Workers are being brought from outside the State of Goa, into the State of Goa, the Government of Goa is not bound to rehabilitate them except to the extent provided by specific directions in the judgments of the Apex Court. The rescued Commercial Sex Workers be deported to the State from where they come. The Goa State Commission for women with the National Commission for Women to take steps so that the said women are rehabilitated in the state from where they hail with the assistance of the respective State Governments.

6. National Commission for women within nine months from today (July 2003) to file report with this Court as to what steps they have taken for implementing the recommendations of the Justice Kamat (Retd.) Committee appointed by them.

CHURCHILL: 'I WILL FIGHT FOR REHABILITATION'.

I GOT the news of the Baina demolition while I was in Delhi. When I arrived the following day, (15 th June), about 150 people escorted me to Baina straight from the Dabolim airport. Among them were Jose Filip (Ex Vasco MLA), Karl Vaz (MLA), Simon D’Souza, Lina (Mahila Youth president) and Tara Kerkar. At Baina, the scene was hysterical. People were weeping and some were digging through the debris. There were three bulldozers on the demolition job. I realized that all the sex workers had fled and only the labour class was around. The Chief Minister along with Rajendra Arlekar also arrived on the scene after I telephoned the CM. I then forced the work to stop. The Mamlatdar assured me that he would identify the structures to be demolished. A measure that had to be done before.

Churchil Alemao. . .'I foresee a steep rise in HIV cases in Goa'

The following day, I went to Baina as early as 6 am since I did not trust the authorities. People were still trying to recover whatever they could from the debris. I then visited Sada Jail to see those who were arrested and had not got bail. Following which I went to the site where the victims were housed. It was a horrifying site to see those families in the most inhumane conditions. At about 7 am I rushed to Baina when I got news that about 200 policemen had arrived. On site, there were also two bulldozers who promptly left when I informed them that I would physically obstruct the work. The Police personnel then tried to unsuccessfully persuade the bulldozers to stay on. By then the Collector J.B. Singh and the Chief Officer (C.O) of the Mormugao Municipal Corporation, Agarwal, had arrived. I threatened that there would be a law and order problem much different to that of the first day since procedures were not followed. Right under my nose one woman gave birth to a child. It was a pitiable site, which still haunts me. The C.O assured me that they had only come to remove debris, which I knew was a lie. No one requires assistance of 200 odd policemen to do that. It was then mutually agreed to give the victims two days to salvage whatever they could from the rubble.

To my knowledge, no Court of law orders demolition during monsoons. I am also of the firm belief that this whole operation, the manner in which it was done, was because the victims had whole-heartedly supported me at the last Parliament elections in spite of police cordonning the area and not allowing them to vote till 12 pm on polling day. I am not against the demolition. Nor do I say that the beach should not be beautified. However, I strongly stress that before the demolition, everyone there has to be decently rehabilitated especially since they are the labour class.

I foresee a steep rise in HIV cases in Goa since the sex workers have spread around the countryside in and around Goa. I have tele-phonically informed Deve Gowda, Oscar Fernandes and the Chief Minister of Karnataka, since the majority of the victims are from that state. I will fight till these people are rehabilitated decently since they are citizens of India. It does not matter to me if they are children of a lesser God.

(As told to Calvert Gonsalves.)

BULLDOZER INVASION

By Albertina Almeida

AS I WAS dragged by my collar, pushed and jostled by two women police into a police van, there is one home truth that was completely confirmed for me: that we have a new invasion – the ‘Bulldozer Invasion‘. It’s about prime land and contracts and deals. All well couched in language like “we are cleaning up the place of prostitution, we are implementing the High Court Orders”.

 If the Government is really serious about dealing with trafficking of women and children, or prevention of it, how come it takes them months together after complaints are made, to register cases against traffickers of women? How come the police do not act when we seek that children in the custody of convicted brothel-keepers be rescued? Yes, how come?

 Where is the Government’s rehabilitation policy if displacement of people from their shelters and their livelihood is indeed inevitable? The Government says they are implementing High Court directives that required that 250 cubicles where women were involved in prostitution be demolished? Where is the plan and the data on the basis of which these 250 cubicles were identified? Where are the Government’s demolition plans?

It’s completely apparent and obvious that more than 250 cubicles have been demolished.

It is all one whole saga of terror of some of the most marginalised sections of society.

And now that they are there out in the cold and the rains, in Vasco and some in other parts of Goa, what is the State’s action plan? Are these people not supposed to exist?

 And when people speak up for their rights or questions the Government for their inhuman illegal behaviour, from when does this amount to being part of an unlawful assembly and rioting and obstruction of a public servant in the discharge of his duty which are the charges on which I and the others were arrested by the police?

 These are our anguished questions.