Itanagar, May 13: Members of the Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society (APWWS) on Monday met Deputy Commissioner, ICR, Shweta Nagarkoti Mehta, and submitted a representation requesting urgent action to combat trafficking of minor girls. This comes in the wake of police busting a child prostitution racket in the state capital where four minor girls aged 10-15 years were rescued. Also 15 people have been arrested in the said case.
Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society, as an apex women's organization dedicated to safeguarding the rights and welfare of women and girls within our community, is deeply concerned regarding the recent incident that has brought to light the alarming issue of trafficking of minor girls for illegal activities within the Itanagar Capital Region. The gravity of this situation necessitates immediate and decisive action to address the root causes and prevent further exploitation of vulnerable individuals, the women’s organisation President Kani Nada Maling said in a statement.
The APWWS has sought immediate cancellation of licenses of hotels and beauty parlours found to be involved in facilitating illegal activities, particularly those related to the trafficking of minor girls. This swift action will serve as a deterrent and signal our zero-tolerance policy towards such reprehensible practices, it said.
It also called for stringent measures such as mandatory production of identity cards from all guests upon check-in at hotels, coupled with the submission of a daily guest entry log to both the District Administration and the Superintendent of Police for thorough scrutiny and proper verification.
Calling for proper verification of beauty parlours the APWWS said that parlours operating without licenses and may be engaging in such unscrupulous activities as prostitution must be immediately shut down.
The women’s body also stressed on enhancing security measures at all entry and exit points within the district. This includes thorough checking at key checkpoints such as Banderdewa check gate, Gumto check gate, and Hollongi check post. Heightened vigilance and stringent enforcement at these checkpoints are essential to intercepting and deterring individuals engaged in trafficking and other illegal activities.
We believe that swift and decisive action in implementing these recommendations will send a strong message of our collective commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of women, young girls, and children within our Itanagar Capital Region. We stand ready to collaborate with the District Administration and law enforcement authorities to ensure the effective implementation of these measures and contribute to the eradication of trafficking and exploitation, Maling said.
After meeting the DC, the team visited the Itanagar Municipal Corporation office any submitted a copy of the representation to the Commissioner Office. The team also met Rohit Rajbir Singh, SP, Itanagar Capital Region, and lauded his efforts while also extending all support.