Regional
77% sex workers in Kolkata victims of fake job promises
Kolkata: Seventy-seven per cent of the children sex workers who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation in Kolkata are lured into the sex trade with the promise of a good job before they are forced to taking clients, according to a report.
The report published on Thursday by the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) in association with International Justice Mission, revealed that more than 57 per cent of the trafficking survivors in Bengal undergo a violent conditioning period that includes physical violence, multiple rapes and even in some cases murder.
“Three survivors had witnessed murders of other sex workers as a warning against resistance. Fift-five per cent of the survivors said they were beaten with objects such as sticks and/or rods.
“Once conditioned, children were found to provide sexual services to seven to 18 customers a day leading to incredible profits for the perpetrators. Perpetrators earn between Rs 1,200 to 12,000 per day and per victim,” the report said.
In Kolkata 77% sex workers victim of fake job promises:
Out of 4,143 and 131 sex workers surveyed from the public and private establishments in the city respectively, the study suggests that the number of children involved in the private establishments were significantly higher.
The survey classified brothels and hotels as public establishments, and said the private establishments operated from residential premises, massage parlours and lodges.
“The prevalence of minors in public establishments is 0.8 per cent while the prevalence of minors in private establishments is 18 per cent. The minors observed in private establishments were 15 to 17 years old, all of whom were from West Bengal,” the study said.
Contradicting the stereotypical notion of male-dominated exploiters and pimps in the industry, the study revealed that nearly 80 per cent of the contacts in the private establishments here were females.
Claiming that the Bengal government has taken significant steps in combating the commercial sexual exploitation of children, the report said 30 perpetrators were arrested and 26 women including eight minors were rescued from a private network in the city recently.
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What monkey fled with a bag containing evidence in it: Read full story
The court, generally, considers a person who commit a crime and the one who destroys the evidence, as criminals in the eyes of law. But what if an animal destroys the evidence of a crime committed by a human.
In a peculiar incident in Rajasthan, a monkey fled away with the evidence collected by the police in a murder case. The stolen evidence included the murder weapon (a blood-stained knife).
The incident came to light when the police appeared before the court and they had to provide the evidence in the hearing.
The hearing was about the crime which took place in September 2016, in which a person named Shashikant Sharma died at a primary health center under Chandwaji police station. After the body was found, the deceased’s relatives blocked the Jaipur-Delhi highway, demanding an inquiry into the matter.
Following the investigation, the police had arrested Rahul Kandera and Mohanlal Kandera, residents of Chandwaji in relation to the murder. But, when the time came to produce the evidence related to the case, it was found that the police had no evidence with them because a monkey had stolen it from them.
In the court, the police said that the knife, which was the primary evidence, was also taken by the monkey. The cops informed that the evidence of the case was kept in a bag, which was being taken to the court.
The evidence bag contained the knife and 15 other important evidences. However, due to the lack of space in the malkhana, a bag full of evidence was kept under a tree, which led to the incident.