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News writeup on Migrant Labours, by Dr Martin Patrick, Chief Economist, in Hindu on, July 1st 2015.
If police reports on recent raids were to be believed, flesh trade aimed at inter-State migrant workers seems to be gaining ground in parts of Perumbavoor. The Hindu has learnt from sources that sex rackets operating exclusively for the migrant workersare thriving in parts of Perumbavoor, a hub of inter-state migrant workers in the State.
The issue first came to light with the busting of a sex racket, which operated at Vadakkattupady near here on May 28. Police investigation found that the racket was run by a migrant labourer from West Bengal along with his wife.
Police said that such brothels are run by agents who bring in women from West Bengal or Assam and operate from rented homes. The business takes place mainly on Sundays when the workers from different parts of the state flock the town for their weekly shopping.
“We have been receiving reports about the operations of similar rackets in several pockets of the town,” said Muhammed Riaz, Circle Inspector of police, Perumbavoor.
Majority of the women who operate with these rackets are brought from their home states on the pretext of marriage.
“The inputs we have gathered about these rackets suggest that Keralites are strictly forbidden in such places. The agents contact the clients over phone and they are charged Rs.1,000 per visit,” Mr. Riaz explained.
Social scientists are of the view that the issue points to the failure of the administrative mechanism in curbing the social consequences of large-scale migration. “The failure of authorities is evident from the failure of the programme for registering these labourers. Strict policing is the only way to counter the evils that come with their migration,” observed Martin Patrick, chief economist, Centre for Public Policy and Research, Kochi, an expert in the dynamics of inter-State migrant workers.
