The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the State’s Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) to submit a detailed report on the preventive, reformative and rehabilitation measures taken by the government on the issues related to sex workers in Bhubaneswar.
The apex rights panel passed the order seeking compliance reports within eight weeks in this regard on a petition filed by rights activist and lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy.
“The authorities are expected to take remedial measures on bare necessities and Poverty alleviation and basic amenities within a period of eight weeks,” NHRC stated in the order recently.
The petitioner pointed out the plight of sex workers in brothels in Master Canteen, Mali Sahi and other areas of Bhubaneswar, stating that they are victims of human trafficking. During the World Cup Hockey some of them were made shelterless without minimum life support, the petition alleged.
Though there exists an anti-trafficking unit in the police stations, it is not working effectively and police are found wanting in taking sincere steps to prohibit recurrence of sex trade.
The functioning of the State Level Coordination Committee to combat human trafficking of this is not satisfactory. The statutory Institution, set up under Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, 1956, is not properly functioning. The victims are being deprived of benefits under the various social welfare schemes as the Supreme Court judgment with regard to the rights of the sex workers is not being complied with by the State, Tripathy alleged.