An appeal to the Chief Minister of Delhi

We, the ‘World March of Women’ (WMW), is an international feminist action movement connecting grass-roots groups and organizations working to eliminate the causes at the root of poverty and violence against women. We struggle against all forms of inequality and discrimination directed at women.

We, ‘World March of Women’ (WMW) would like to draw your attention on the following facts based on the  reports and information gathered by media and NGO’S :-

1.    Child trafficking rises ahead of Commonwealth Games
Rishikant of Shakti Vahini.(source :times of India , Monday,16 August 2010 )
With Commonwealth Games fast approaching, cases of child trafficking, especially minor girls are on the rise. Girls mostly from West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand are lured by placement agencies which promise employment in the city but are instead sold to pimps and forced into sex work.

2. Surinder Jeet Kaur, SHO, Kamla Market police station
 (source :times of India , Monday,16 August 2010 )
"We have seen a spurt in such cases over the past one month. The victims are mostly those who were promised work in Delhi ahead of the Commonwealth Games by placement agencies, but were instead sold off to pimps and forced into sex work," said Surinder Jeet Kaur, SHO, Kamla Market police station.

3) A lot of escort agencies are more prepared for the CWG than the CWG organizers:
(http://www.deccanherald.com/ 25 Aug 2010 )
Tina Jaiswal, owner of Delhi’s No 1 escort agency has stated that it hopes to make good money during the games and will simply follow the demand and supply principles of economics. She says that the agency will double its rates one month before the games begin and also increase its work force.

4. Girls drugged into puberty, sold as prostitutes:
(Headlines Today
Alwar, May 27, 2010)
A Headlines Today team has uncovered the thriving prostitution racket in
state's Alwar region. The team found that villagers were giving the girls - some of them as young as 10 - repeated and unregulated shots of growth hormone Oxytocin to speed up their sexual maturation.

5. CWG encouraging prostitution(times of India 22 august ,2010)
(Rajya Sabha MP and former sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar) times of India 22 august ,2010
Quoting various media reports, Aiyar said escort agencies were gearing themselves up for the Games, and there were also indications that a large number of women from Russia and other east European countries were going to be in Delhi in October

Aiyar, who had earlier raised the issue in Parliament, said he was dissatisfied with the response of the government. "The government is giving free rein to these activities (prostitution and trafficking)," he said.

6. NACO to provide free condoms at CWG (2 august,2010)
On Monday, the NACO director general announced, “The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) is considering distributing free condoms to players and other accompanying members of the teams, aiming to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS during the Games. “Moreover around 200 automatic condom vending machines would also be installed at venues so that common people can avail the contraceptive at Rs 5 per piece. Talking about the same, he added, “We are in talks with the state (Delhi) government and other civic authorities to rope in manpower to put up the condom vending machines.”

7. Brothels  get  a facelift ahead of CWG
PressTrustOfIndia
New Delhi, May 30, 2010
Brothels in Delhi's oldest red light area on GB road have taken it upon themselves to improve the living conditions Their joint effort appears to have paid off in many of the 84 brothels. While fancy tiles now decorate what were once stained walls, split air-conditioners, refrigerators and LCD TVs have appeared as the latest additions in these brothels which too hope to benefit from the Games extravaganza when thousands of tourists are expected to flock the capital.

8. Sex industry smells big business at CWG
Headlines Today
Deepak Sharma
New Delhi, August 20, 2010
After being tipped off by reliable sources, Headlines Today's special investigation team went undercover to expose several escort agencies, which have set their eyes on the Games for a lucrative business.If the escort agents whom Headlines Today contacted are to be believed, then it is clear: you name a country-Britain, Spain, Germany, Poland, former USSR countries, Afghanistan and Turkey-and the brokers, numbering about 450-500 in the city, would arrange these at your doorstep in the garb of escorts."There are over 450 brokers working overtime to put the business in order as each has about 15-20 escort girls under their charge," said one of the biggest escort agents operating in Delhi for the past decade, who called himself Rohan Kapoor.A girl gets about 50-60 per cent of the total contract money, depending on the broker. They do not come on work permits, but on a tourist visa, for which they pay about $ 1500.

We WMW on behalf of international women’s movements, women organizations and citizen of India who believe that women are not to be used as sex object demand for :

1. We denounce prostitution in any form carried under the light of CWG .
2. We demand  the police administration to ensure that such activities do not go unchecked in the grab of CWG as the crime is fast spreading under the nose of police.
3. We demand to activate intelligence bureau to keep a check on cross border trafficking of girl’s for CWG.
4. We demand that their should be a strict action taken against those involved in trafficking of minor girls and women.

We appeal the “Government of India” to take a quick actions against the fast deteriorating moral standards initiated in the light of ‘Common Wealth Games’ and not to be a country to host the sex carnival along side a sports extravaganza pushing the future of thousands of minor girls and women in dark ,all in the name of “National Honour”.