‘Human trafficking survivors struggle to obtain govt IDs’
VIJAYAWADA: The survivors of trafficking, including women and their children, continue to face immense difficulties in obtaining government-issued identity cards such as ration cards, Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and driving licences.
These crucial documents, except for driving licences, are considered a fundamental right for all eligible individuals. However, due to the negligence and lack of coordination among women development, child welfare, revenue, civil supplies and other departments, the survivors, particularly women sex workers, are pushed deeper into poverty, forcing their daughters back into prostitution and their sons into child labour.
Shocking statistics reveal that nearly 40 per cent of sex workers do not possess ration cards or voter IDs, and a significant number lack Aadhaar cards for themselves and their children. According to the Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (APSACS), around 1,33,000 sex workers earn a living through prostitution in Andhra Pradesh. However, VIMUKTHI, an NGO representing survivors of human trafficking, claims that the actual number is more than ten times higher.
The NGO further informed that despite clear directives from the Supreme Court of India, officials have failed to comply with the court’s orders to issue ration cards and voter IDs to all sex workers, emphasising that the ‘Right to Dignity’ is a fundamental right of every citizen, regardless of their occupation. Remarkably, similar instructions were initially issued in 2011, but the implementation of these directives remains painfully absent, it added.
Additionally, the children of trafficking survivors face hurdles in enrolling in schools due to a lack of ID proof. Without essential documents, like birth certificates, they are denied education, perpetuating their vulnerability.
State President of VIMUKTHI M Apurva pointed out that the Ministry of Women and Child Development issued an advisory on October 12, 2011, directing all state governments to establish special committees to address the issues and challenges faced by sex workers and their children. Unfortunately, these directives remain unimplemented by the officials to date, she added.
Director of women development and family welfare M Vijaya Suneetha said that they will cross-check the total number of sex workers in the state who had id cards, such as ration cards, and the number of sex workers who benefited through civil supplies department.