Araku Valley’s dark secret
The Hindu, March 24,
2018
The
picturesque area is also home to tribal villages that have been devastated by
the trafficking of young Adivasi girls. Sumit Bhattacharjee reports on the
modus operandi of the criminal enterprise and meets women who survived to tell
the tale
picturesque area is also home to tribal villages that have been devastated by
the trafficking of young Adivasi girls. Sumit Bhattacharjee reports on the
modus operandi of the criminal enterprise and meets women who survived to tell
the tale
 |
| “With the rise in trafficking, certain locations, especially villages, are proving treacherous for Adivasi girls. Villages that are close to main roads, railway stations and bus stations, and the weekly markets are most vulnerable.” Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak |
Located
deep in the Eastern Ghats, Anantagiri, home to the Valmiki tribe, is one among
the 11 mandals of the Visakhapatnam agency. Not far from it is a famed tourist
spot, the Araku Valley mandal. This time of the year, the landscape is awash in
green with Deodar trees towering over coffee and pepper plantations. But the
scenic beauty conceals an ugly reality that the authorities are still
struggling to address: the trafficking of Adivasi women and girls.
The
homecoming
homecoming
Sitting
on the steps of her thatched mud house in a village in Anantagiri mandal,
Rajini looks downcast. She was 15 years old when she was tricked into a
prostitution ring and rescued in June last year by Nature, an NGO that works on
rehabilitating trafficked women. She is 27 now.
on the steps of her thatched mud house in a village in Anantagiri mandal,
Rajini looks downcast. She was 15 years old when she was tricked into a
prostitution ring and rescued in June last year by Nature, an NGO that works on
rehabilitating trafficked women. She is 27 now.
Rajini
recalls her childhood. She would run free in the ‘pasupu’ (turmeric) fields
during the day, tend to the paddy field with her grandfather and help him cut
the jackfruits that grow in abundance in the region, she says. She would also
play hide-and-seek with her grandmother in the mustard plantations. Rajini’s
carefree days came to an abrupt end when she turned 15. The villagers looked at
her differently, and some treated her with contempt. She was too young to
understand why.
recalls her childhood. She would run free in the ‘pasupu’ (turmeric) fields
during the day, tend to the paddy field with her grandfather and help him cut
the jackfruits that grow in abundance in the region, she says. She would also
play hide-and-seek with her grandmother in the mustard plantations. Rajini’s
carefree days came to an abrupt end when she turned 15. The villagers looked at
her differently, and some treated her with contempt. She was too young to
understand why.
Two
developments in 2005 changed her life forever: she attained puberty and she
lost her mother. “My mother became very ill. The ailment was a mystery to us,”
Rajini says. She would later discover that her mother had contracted AIDS.
developments in 2005 changed her life forever: she attained puberty and she
lost her mother. “My mother became very ill. The ailment was a mystery to us,”
Rajini says. She would later discover that her mother had contracted AIDS.
Life was
harsh for the young girl and her grandparents. It seemed as though money had
dried up following her mother’s death. Rajini and her grandparents did not have
enough to eat. During the winter months, with no winter clothing, she would lie
in the kitchen to keep herself warm. Then, one day, she was approached by a
woman from the plains who promised to get Rajini a job in Hyderabad. “I never
had any formal education and I knew nothing about Hyderabad,” she says. “I had
never set foot beyond the hills. Getting picked up in a car from my village was
a dream for me.”
harsh for the young girl and her grandparents. It seemed as though money had
dried up following her mother’s death. Rajini and her grandparents did not have
enough to eat. During the winter months, with no winter clothing, she would lie
in the kitchen to keep herself warm. Then, one day, she was approached by a
woman from the plains who promised to get Rajini a job in Hyderabad. “I never
had any formal education and I knew nothing about Hyderabad,” she says. “I had
never set foot beyond the hills. Getting picked up in a car from my village was
a dream for me.”
Descent
into hell
into hell
Once in
Hyderabad, Rajini was lodged in a cage-like building that her handlers referred
to as a hostel. They got her registered to work in the packaging unit of a food
processing company. But that was only a cover. Within a week, Rajini was pushed
into sex work. “I was raped by at least 15 different men in four days,” she
says. “I realised then that I had been tricked. It was there that I met
another, slightly older Adivasi girl from a neighbouring village. She told me
that there were more than 300 Adivasi girls from different mandals of the
Visakhapatnam agency in hellholes across the country.”
Hyderabad, Rajini was lodged in a cage-like building that her handlers referred
to as a hostel. They got her registered to work in the packaging unit of a food
processing company. But that was only a cover. Within a week, Rajini was pushed
into sex work. “I was raped by at least 15 different men in four days,” she
says. “I realised then that I had been tricked. It was there that I met
another, slightly older Adivasi girl from a neighbouring village. She told me
that there were more than 300 Adivasi girls from different mandals of the
Visakhapatnam agency in hellholes across the country.”
From 2005
to 2010, Rajini was moved from one place to another, including New Delhi,
Aurangabad and Mumbai. “We were kept on a diet of rice, starch and one curry,
three meals a day. We were given a monthly ration of cosmetics, beaten if we
did not oblige customers who did not want to use a condom, and taken to a
doctor when we fell ill with venereal disease. During this period I came in
contact with an older girl from my village who had also been trafficked. She
told me that my mother was a commercial sex worker who had died of HIV/AIDS,
and that was why I was not accepted in my village,” says Rajini.
to 2010, Rajini was moved from one place to another, including New Delhi,
Aurangabad and Mumbai. “We were kept on a diet of rice, starch and one curry,
three meals a day. We were given a monthly ration of cosmetics, beaten if we
did not oblige customers who did not want to use a condom, and taken to a
doctor when we fell ill with venereal disease. During this period I came in
contact with an older girl from my village who had also been trafficked. She
told me that my mother was a commercial sex worker who had died of HIV/AIDS,
and that was why I was not accepted in my village,” says Rajini.
In 2010,
when Rajini was kept in a brothel in Hyderabad, she eloped with a driver with
the help of another trafficked Adivasi girl and landed in V.Madugula, a suburb
of Visakhapatnam. Her travails did not end with the elopement. The driver was
already married, and he forced her back into prostitution. In 2012, she gave
birth to a child who is now five. The driver abandoned her in 2015 when she was
six months pregnant with her second child.
when Rajini was kept in a brothel in Hyderabad, she eloped with a driver with
the help of another trafficked Adivasi girl and landed in V.Madugula, a suburb
of Visakhapatnam. Her travails did not end with the elopement. The driver was
already married, and he forced her back into prostitution. In 2012, she gave
birth to a child who is now five. The driver abandoned her in 2015 when she was
six months pregnant with her second child.
“There
was no food for me and my child. As I was pregnant, I could not even go back to
the profession that I hated the most. With great difficulty I gave birth to a
second child. But in 2016, I was forced to sell the infant for ₹25,000. A hospital nurse helped me do it. I wanted to see him grow up,
but I was not even given the address of the buyer,” she recalls.
was no food for me and my child. As I was pregnant, I could not even go back to
the profession that I hated the most. With great difficulty I gave birth to a
second child. But in 2016, I was forced to sell the infant for ₹25,000. A hospital nurse helped me do it. I wanted to see him grow up,
but I was not even given the address of the buyer,” she recalls.
The
promise of employment
promise of employment
According
to the 12 police stations spread across the 11 mandals, about 220 cases of
missing girls have been recorded in the last five years. But other estimates,
as per the records of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights
(SCPCR) and NGOs such as Nature, suggest that 1,500 women may have gone missing
in the past 10 years. In 2017, the police recorded 18 cases of missing girls.
The Superintendent of Police of Visakhapatnam (Rural), Rahul Dev Sharma, says
that the number could be more as many of these cases go unreported. “The girls
and women come from various parts of the agency areas such as Paderu, GK
Veedhi, Chintapalli, G. Madugula, Anantagiri, Koyyuru, and Araku mandals in
Visakhapatnam district, Gummalaxmipuram in Vizianagaram district, Seethammapeta
in Srikakulam, and Rampachodavaram in East Godavari,” says S.B. Balaraju,
former Chairperson of the SCPCR and the founder of Nature.
to the 12 police stations spread across the 11 mandals, about 220 cases of
missing girls have been recorded in the last five years. But other estimates,
as per the records of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights
(SCPCR) and NGOs such as Nature, suggest that 1,500 women may have gone missing
in the past 10 years. In 2017, the police recorded 18 cases of missing girls.
The Superintendent of Police of Visakhapatnam (Rural), Rahul Dev Sharma, says
that the number could be more as many of these cases go unreported. “The girls
and women come from various parts of the agency areas such as Paderu, GK
Veedhi, Chintapalli, G. Madugula, Anantagiri, Koyyuru, and Araku mandals in
Visakhapatnam district, Gummalaxmipuram in Vizianagaram district, Seethammapeta
in Srikakulam, and Rampachodavaram in East Godavari,” says S.B. Balaraju,
former Chairperson of the SCPCR and the founder of Nature.
Subbalakshmi
from Araku mandal, Padma from Gummalaxmipuram, and Krishnaveni from Chodavaram
have similar harrowing stories to recount. All of them were rescued last year
and are being rehabilitated.
from Araku mandal, Padma from Gummalaxmipuram, and Krishnaveni from Chodavaram
have similar harrowing stories to recount. All of them were rescued last year
and are being rehabilitated.
In 2014,
Subbalakshmi was a Class 9 student when she eloped with a mason – a married man
and 10 years older than her. Now she is back at home after having been forced
to work as a sex worker in Bengaluru and Rajahmundry. She was abandoned when
she got pregnant at 18. Due to her poor health, her twins were stillborn. She
is now terminally ill with AIDS. Many cases such as Subbalakshmi’s go
unreported due to social stigma.
Subbalakshmi was a Class 9 student when she eloped with a mason – a married man
and 10 years older than her. Now she is back at home after having been forced
to work as a sex worker in Bengaluru and Rajahmundry. She was abandoned when
she got pregnant at 18. Due to her poor health, her twins were stillborn. She
is now terminally ill with AIDS. Many cases such as Subbalakshmi’s go
unreported due to social stigma.
There
have been instances when the young girls have found their way back to their
hamlets from brothels in Goa, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. Many
have contracted AIDS. According to Balaraju, about 500 such women have returned
in the last 10 years and around 200 have tested HIV positive in the
Visakhapatnam agency area alone.
have been instances when the young girls have found their way back to their
hamlets from brothels in Goa, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. Many
have contracted AIDS. According to Balaraju, about 500 such women have returned
in the last 10 years and around 200 have tested HIV positive in the
Visakhapatnam agency area alone.
From sex slavery
to trafficking
to trafficking
According
to P.D. Satyapal, head of the Department of Anthropology at Andhra Pradesh
University, who has done considerable research on the tribals of the Eastern
Ghats, the trafficking of young girls from the region goes back all the way to
the British era, when there was widespread sex slavery. After the British left,
trafficking picked up as the Telugu film industry grew, based in what was then
known as Madras. The picturesque landscape and cool climate provided an ideal
setting for outdoor shoots, and in the early 1980s filmmakers flocked to the
Araku Valley. This ended up bringing the industry in contact with the Adivasis.
to P.D. Satyapal, head of the Department of Anthropology at Andhra Pradesh
University, who has done considerable research on the tribals of the Eastern
Ghats, the trafficking of young girls from the region goes back all the way to
the British era, when there was widespread sex slavery. After the British left,
trafficking picked up as the Telugu film industry grew, based in what was then
known as Madras. The picturesque landscape and cool climate provided an ideal
setting for outdoor shoots, and in the early 1980s filmmakers flocked to the
Araku Valley. This ended up bringing the industry in contact with the Adivasis.
The first
such case of trafficking that came to light involved a young woman, Madhu, who
in 1982 was offered a job in the film industry. Madhu returned after about
three years and took 10 girls with her from the Araku mandal. Three of them
later returned, infected with HIV, says Satyapal.
such case of trafficking that came to light involved a young woman, Madhu, who
in 1982 was offered a job in the film industry. Madhu returned after about
three years and took 10 girls with her from the Araku mandal. Three of them
later returned, infected with HIV, says Satyapal.
The movie
merchants were followed by moneylenders from Nellore in the late 1980s. But the
major blow came from gemstone miners. According to Satyapal, the number of
trafficking cases of tribal girls from the agency areas of Visakhapatnam and
Vizianagaram shot up two decades ago, between 1990 and 2000, when gemstone
miners from the plain areas forayed into the forests.
merchants were followed by moneylenders from Nellore in the late 1980s. But the
major blow came from gemstone miners. According to Satyapal, the number of
trafficking cases of tribal girls from the agency areas of Visakhapatnam and
Vizianagaram shot up two decades ago, between 1990 and 2000, when gemstone
miners from the plain areas forayed into the forests.
“The
gemstone miners and businessmen hailed from different parts of the country,
from as far as Rajasthan and Gujarat. It was they who first exposed the tribals
to big money and technology such as mobile phones,” he says.
gemstone miners and businessmen hailed from different parts of the country,
from as far as Rajasthan and Gujarat. It was they who first exposed the tribals
to big money and technology such as mobile phones,” he says.
Charu
Sinha, a senior Indian Police Service officer who had earlier served as the
Superintendent of Police of East Godavari and is currently posted in Telangana,
says: “There are two angles to trafficking in the tribal belt. First, the young
Adivasi girls from Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, and East Godavari
are taken to other towns and cities mainly by women who were victims themselves
and are from the same area. These older women are paid by the kingpins to bring
more girls, and the teenagers fall for the supposedly rich lifestyle displayed
by the older women. The second is the attraction of city life and the film
industry. The Integrated Tribal Development Authority and social welfare
department hostels are ironically the places from where the girls are taken.
The girls are tempted with promises of a great city life or the promise of a
career in the film industry. Typically, the middlemen are young men. The girls,
once caught in the vicious circle of money, deception, exploitation and social
stigma, rarely turn back. They, in turn, get others from the same villages.”
Sinha, a senior Indian Police Service officer who had earlier served as the
Superintendent of Police of East Godavari and is currently posted in Telangana,
says: “There are two angles to trafficking in the tribal belt. First, the young
Adivasi girls from Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, and East Godavari
are taken to other towns and cities mainly by women who were victims themselves
and are from the same area. These older women are paid by the kingpins to bring
more girls, and the teenagers fall for the supposedly rich lifestyle displayed
by the older women. The second is the attraction of city life and the film
industry. The Integrated Tribal Development Authority and social welfare
department hostels are ironically the places from where the girls are taken.
The girls are tempted with promises of a great city life or the promise of a
career in the film industry. Typically, the middlemen are young men. The girls,
once caught in the vicious circle of money, deception, exploitation and social
stigma, rarely turn back. They, in turn, get others from the same villages.”
The
elopement route
elopement route
With the
rise in trafficking, certain locations are proving treacherous for Adivasi
girls. Villages that are close to main roads, railway stations and bus stations,
and the weekly markets in the agency areas are places where the girls are most
vulnerable. It is here that they come in contact with a world that is very
different from their village life. It is here that middlemen, whose network
extends all over India, come and look for young and particularly poor Adivasi
girls and try to entice them with flashy clothes and baubles.
rise in trafficking, certain locations are proving treacherous for Adivasi
girls. Villages that are close to main roads, railway stations and bus stations,
and the weekly markets in the agency areas are places where the girls are most
vulnerable. It is here that they come in contact with a world that is very
different from their village life. It is here that middlemen, whose network
extends all over India, come and look for young and particularly poor Adivasi
girls and try to entice them with flashy clothes and baubles.
Most of
these cases of girls going missing are treated as elopement cases by their
family members, says the DIG of Visakhapatnam (Rural), Ch. Srikanth. So, it is
is difficult for these girls to file a complaint as most of these cases go
unreported, he says.
these cases of girls going missing are treated as elopement cases by their
family members, says the DIG of Visakhapatnam (Rural), Ch. Srikanth. So, it is
is difficult for these girls to file a complaint as most of these cases go
unreported, he says.
As for
the middlemen, the promise of marriage has become the most common way for them
to get girls, Balaraju says. “In 80% of the cases, as the families object to
the marriage, ‘the couple’ elopes,” he says.
the middlemen, the promise of marriage has become the most common way for them
to get girls, Balaraju says. “In 80% of the cases, as the families object to
the marriage, ‘the couple’ elopes,” he says.
How is
the increase in trafficking cases being dealt with? The Chairperson of the
Andhra Pradesh State Mahila Commission, Nannapaneni Rajakumari, says, “We are
planning to set up a helpline and counselling teams at the district and mandal
levels to counsel young girls and women about trafficking. Apart from this,
district collectors, especially those covering tribal areas such as
Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam, have been told to identify and map
the vulnerable pockets and collect data. We are also working on a project of
employment-centric skill development for tribal women.”
the increase in trafficking cases being dealt with? The Chairperson of the
Andhra Pradesh State Mahila Commission, Nannapaneni Rajakumari, says, “We are
planning to set up a helpline and counselling teams at the district and mandal
levels to counsel young girls and women about trafficking. Apart from this,
district collectors, especially those covering tribal areas such as
Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam, have been told to identify and map
the vulnerable pockets and collect data. We are also working on a project of
employment-centric skill development for tribal women.”
However,
Sunita Krishnan of Prajwala, an NGO that rescues and rehabilitates victims of
trafficking, feels that the trafficking issue is not being addressed in an
appropriate manner. “Most of the trafficking cases come to light after the
police conduct a raid at a brothel. But things do not progress from there.
Typically, after a raid, the victims are sent to correction homes and the
brothel managers are booked under the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act,
1956, and sent to remand. The investigation closes with that,” she says.
Sunita Krishnan of Prajwala, an NGO that rescues and rehabilitates victims of
trafficking, feels that the trafficking issue is not being addressed in an
appropriate manner. “Most of the trafficking cases come to light after the
police conduct a raid at a brothel. But things do not progress from there.
Typically, after a raid, the victims are sent to correction homes and the
brothel managers are booked under the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act,
1956, and sent to remand. The investigation closes with that,” she says.
She adds
that the punishment is insufficient under the Act. “The police needs to use
stringent Sections of the Indian Penal Code such as Sections 370 (buying or
disposing of any person as a slave), 370A (exploitation of a trafficked
person), and other relevant ones concerning illegal confinement, sexual
exploitation, and kidnapping,” she says.
that the punishment is insufficient under the Act. “The police needs to use
stringent Sections of the Indian Penal Code such as Sections 370 (buying or
disposing of any person as a slave), 370A (exploitation of a trafficked
person), and other relevant ones concerning illegal confinement, sexual
exploitation, and kidnapping,” she says.
The most
crucial way of solving the problem is by reaching the kingpins and middlemen,
says the legal advisor to the Visakhapatnam City Police Commissionerate, K.
Ramakrishna. “The issue is not being viewed holistically by the State
government and the police,” he says.
crucial way of solving the problem is by reaching the kingpins and middlemen,
says the legal advisor to the Visakhapatnam City Police Commissionerate, K.
Ramakrishna. “The issue is not being viewed holistically by the State
government and the police,” he says.
While
officials think of ways to tackle the problem, the women try to put their
traumatic past behind them and think of the future. Rajini says she wants to
educate her son. “I have requested the headmaster to admit him next year. I
want him to have a proper home and a decent life,” she says, as she gets up
from the steps and walks towards the village school. “I am now learning
tailoring to support my family. I have also joined the NGO that rescued me. I
hope to be a part of their team. I have decided to tour the tribal hamlets to
educate young girls, and tell them not to get tricked by strangers who promise
them jobs in cities.”
officials think of ways to tackle the problem, the women try to put their
traumatic past behind them and think of the future. Rajini says she wants to
educate her son. “I have requested the headmaster to admit him next year. I
want him to have a proper home and a decent life,” she says, as she gets up
from the steps and walks towards the village school. “I am now learning
tailoring to support my family. I have also joined the NGO that rescued me. I
hope to be a part of their team. I have decided to tour the tribal hamlets to
educate young girls, and tell them not to get tricked by strangers who promise
them jobs in cities.”
Names of
the trafficked women have been changed.
the trafficked women have been changed.
