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 The Sonepat Police
have busted a prostitution racket functioning inside a popular dhaba in Murthal,
which is the hub of street dhabas on national highway 1, around 45 kilometres from Delhi.
The police said nine people were arrested, including four women. Two of the women could be minors
and their details were being ascertained, the police added.
"A surprise raid was conducted by the police, during which, four men and four women were found in a compromising position. The police said preliminary investigation has revealed that a lady from Panipat brought young girls from Delhi and Ghaziabad to work here as sex workers at the dhaba. She has also been arrested," the SHO said.
"The accused are being interrogated to find out since when were they running this racket. The age of the girls is also being ascertained to impose other charges on the accused, besides the trafficking act," the SHO added.
"The statements of the accused are being lodged and they will be produced Escorts in Delhi court to seek their remand. Further investigation is on and more raids will continue to put an end to this occupation here," the SHO said.
Kusum, 40, who only uses her first name, lives in one of the brothels on Delhi's GB Road.
She said she is not ashamed of being known to the world as a sex worker and insisted on not changing her name.
Kusum, who is also president of the All India Network of Sex Workers.
As the monsoon session began July 18, the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018,
was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Women and Child
Development Minister Maneka Gandhi. According to National
Crime Records Bureau figures, around 8,100 cases of trafficking were recorded in India in 2016 and around
23,000 victims of trafficking were rescued the same year (61
percent of these were children).
Trafficking, under the Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code,
has been defined as "any act" of physical and sexual exploitation, slavery or practices
similar to slavery and servitude. Legal experts and social activists also
expressed their worry
that the bill might have a direct negative impact on the lives of many sex workers as it does not address the legal and real-time challenges in trafficking in persons.
Samarjit Jana, director, Sonagachi Research and Training Institute, Kolkata, told IANS.
According to the activists, the bill must clearly state that it does not include consenting adults and that
they should be allowed to continue with their chosen occupation.
Jana, who has for long been associated with the rights of sex-workers, stated.
Another issue that experts are concerned about is that the government does not offer a proper rehabilitation program.
Aarthi Pai, an activist and lawyer associated with the Bengaluru-based NGO Sangram.
Jana pointed out that certain guiding principles were shared with the government, asking
the WCD Ministry to consider certain factors before drafting the bill, but these have been ignored.
Earlier this month, around 4,300 sex workers had also written to
Maneka Gandhi appealing to her to ensure that the new law does not lead to their incarceration. There has apparently been no action on this
either.
Kiran, a sex worker for over 20 years in Maharashtra, notes how the world of showbiz has portrayed sex workers
over the years and isn't impressed by the stereotyping.
Women's Day 2019: From Arth to Queen, How Bollywood Has Evolved To Have More Women-Centric Movies.
According to the dialogue, we don't even deserve to be
called women? There has been some niche cinema which has
attempted to show sex workers in a much more positive light, but most of the movies have shown them in a dangerous type of
stereotyping. Dangerous because it has harmed sex workers over the
years.
Kiran said it is a reality that not everyone is forced into sex work.
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, whose deft handling of a story of a bar dancer won a National Award, says people shouldn't forget sex workers are humans too.
Author Anurag Garg, who also works for NGO Kat-Katha, feels movies
usually depict sex workers' lives on a "surface level". Most recently,
Tabrez Noorani's Love Sonia took a deep dive into the
world of human trafficking. It ended with giving a ray
of hope, keeping with the larger aim to galvanise support for organisations that work towards rescuing trafficked women and giving them a new lease of life.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged with first-degree solicitation of a prostitute in Florida on Monday.
Kraft has a court date scheduled for April 24.
He doesn’t need to appear, and a lawyer can represent him instead.
Kraft, 77, is facing two counts of misdemeanor solicitation connected to a sting at a massage parlor in Jupiter, Fla.
According to court documents, one of Kraft’s visit
to Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter was on January 20,
prior to the Patriots playing the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC
Championship Game in Missouri. Kraft allegedly visited the spa on two occasions, according to law enforcement.
Orchids of Asia Day Spa is among the 10 massage parlors shut down in the region after
a long investigation showed the women in the spas were
sex servants, authorities said.
Earlier Monday, the NFL released an updated statement on the status of
the pillar of the New England franchise. "Our personal conduct policy applies to everyone in the NFL. We will handle this allegation in the same way we would handle any issue under our policy. We are seeking a full understanding of the facts, while ensuring that we do not interfere with an ongoing law enforcement investigation. We will take appropriate action as warranted based on the facts," read the
NFL statement. 500 fine as a first-time offender.
He also could be subject to disciplinary action by the NFL.
According to police, video surveillance caught
Kraft arriving at the spa the following day at 10:59 a.m.
Police said Kraft pulled up at the spa in a blue
2015 Bentley and was dressed in blue shorts, a dark long-sleeved
shirt and a blue baseball cap. Hidden cameras
in the room displayed an encounter that lasted less than 15 minutes.
100, according to police. Kraft, who also owns the New England Revolution MLS franchise, denied the accusations
on Friday afternoon. "We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity," a spokesman for Kraft said in a statement.
The NFL and MLS also released statements Friday afternoon. "The NFL is aware of the ongoing law enforcement matter and will continue to monitor developments," the league said.
The MLS had a similar comment. "Major League Soccer is aware of reports regarding the case in Florida and will continue to follow any developments," according to
its statement.
 Kiran told IANS as
she delved on the sentiments of several sex workers like her.
Renuka, another sex worker, has urged filmmakers
not to show them as "use and throw" objects -- as it happened in Salman Khan's movie "Chori Chori Chupke Chupke" on surrogacy.
Indian filmmakers have time and again delved into the life of women sex workers.
Social activist and lawyer Aarthi Pai says mainstream cinema has
done a lot of damage to "the identity of sex workers".
This stereotype of sex workers hanging out in verandahs and showing their breasts, chewing betel is one which dominates public imagination. Sex
workers are of different types and they have different realities.
Many women like me are willingly doing it to earn our
livelihood. They are also humans. They are being
discriminated in our society. In most of the movies,
a lot of glamour is attached to sex workers. They are mostly seen in loud
make-up and depicted as women who are always ready for sex. |
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