Calangute sees maximum rescues from prostitution: report

Nearly 45 per cent of women rescued from various prostitution rackets in Goa in the last four years are from Calangute village, a famous beach area which is the hub for tourists, according to a report.
Of the 316 women rescued from the state by police between 2010 and 2014, 174 were from Calangute village, accounting for 45.7 per cent of the total rescues, as per the report by state-based NGO 'Anyay Rahit Zindagi' (ARZ).
The rescued girls and women were in the age group of 15 to 35 years.
Of the total rescues, 56.9 per cent were from different hotel rooms, while the rest were from beaches, massage parlours, private apartments and also from the accommodations of high profile clients, the report said.

The rescue raids were conducted by Women-Child Protection Unit, Crime Branch, and local units of Goa Police, ARZ director Arun Pandey said.
Anjuna beach belt, which shot to fame due to presence of drug activity, had total 8.3 per cent of the rescues.

The trend also indicates that trafficking has been happening in Goa's remote areas like Canacona, Ponda taluka and in semi-urban localities like Mapusa, Pernem and Agassaim.
The report also said that out of 19 source states involved in trafficking vulnerable girls and women to Goa, majority of the girls were from Maharashtra.
"These girls are not originally from Maharashtra. They may have been migrated from other states like Uttar Pradesh or Bihar...There were many who were displaced after the closure of dance bars in Mumbai," Pandey said explaining the report.

ARZ, which works for rehabilitation of commercial sex workers, compiled the report based on police records from 2010-14.