Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Admitting that Goa’s popularity as a tourist destination attracts traffickers who use gullible girls for illicit trade, Goa Police said on Friday that they have been watchful of advertisements that present women seeking jobs in hospitality.
Speaking outside of a state-level anti-human trafficking conference, Goa’s director general of police, Jaspal Singh, denied that the region is a center for these kinds of illegal activities.
“Goa is not the hub of anything. Goan girls are not trafficked; instead, weaker girls are enticed to Goa with promises of work or other benefits.In response to a question from the media, he stated, “The traffickers find it easy since Goa is a tourist destination.”
The department has repeatedly said that traffickers use Goa’s popularity as a tourist destination to entice girls because they are rarely observed among the year-round influx of visitors.
“When we see ads, particularly for recruiting women for the hospitality industry, our teams at the Economic Offences Cell (EOC) investigate and apply for Protector of Emigrants Certificates to make sure the people we recruit are not forced into prostitution or exploited in any way,” the DGP said.
He added that the Goa Police keep daily logs of who enters hotels, pubs, and other establishments, as well as how often they visit. In addition, tenant verification in rented housing is done in an effort to stop human trafficking. This also applies to groups of women who live in rented housing. “Tenant verification is mandatory for all individuals living in Goa on rent, as mandated by law,” he declared.
