HYDERABAD: Secunderabad Railway Station, one of the busiest places in the city, has been a hub for street prostitution and functioned as the transit point for organisers of prostitution for decades now. The situation is such that, on Wednesday, a man was booked for trying to lure women, who got down at the railway Station, into sex work.
On the eve of World Day of the Fight Against Sexual Exploitation (March 4), police revealed that as many as 189 repeat offenders have been booked from around the railway station premises for indecently exposing and passing lewd comments in public spaces.
On the other hand, six organisers have been booked under the Prevention of Detention Act for trapping women and forcing them to engage in sex work, raping them in some cases, and living off their earnings from sex work. Also, as many as 20 organisers of sex work have been identified and 14 cases have been registered under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956. While as many as 261 victims have been counselled, police revealed that 80 per cent of the victims are HIV positive cases.
Not all hope is lost
According to S Ram Chandra Reddy, inspector of Gopalpuram Police Station, the concerted efforts of city police and Prajwala, an NGO working for victims of trafficking, has reduced street menace, related crimes and the risk of trafficking by 80 per cent in the last one year.
“With organisers as well as sex workers themselves operating around the area, a number of related crimes would be reported which includes eve teasing, robbery, violence under the influence of alcohol etc. They have come down in the last one year,” informed the inspector.
This apart, Vikalp, a 24-hour counselling centre also helps in providing rehabilitation to victims as well as offenders.
Till date, 261 victims have been counselled, the inspector said. “Offenders are also counselled the first time.
As many as 189 repeat offenders have been booked under Section 68 of the Hyderabad City Police Act,” the inspector added.
B Sumathi, DCP, North Zone informed that counselling for offenders and victims is systematic and documented, providing a data base for the department to stop crimes from taking place again.
“The victims are also provided medical aid and are referred to Gandhi Hospital. It was revealed that 80 per cent of these people are HIV positive. Field teams have been specially created from the department that has two male and one female officers to track down offenders,” said the DCP.