The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Rally held against trafficking of women

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Rally held against trafficking of women

Special Correspondent

Groups of men take up unique initiative

— Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

For a cause: Cyclists displaying slogans during a rally against trafficking of women on Wednesday.

HYDERABAD: In a unique initiative to help find solution to the crime of trafficking of women and children, groups of men took out a cycle rally here on Wednesday.

The 16 km rally with the message ‘Trafficking can be prevented if men stopped buying sex’ was flagged off by Minister for Women and Child Welfare N. Rajyalakshmi at the Lalitha Kalathoranam.

The rally was organised by Prajwala, an NGO working against trafficking, and the Department of Women and Child Welfare.

Dr. Sunitha Krishnan of Prajwala said like any trade, prostitution too was governed by demand and supply factors. If men stopped visiting brothels, trafficking of women and children and atrocities against them would decline, she said.

Sensitising men

‘Prajwala’ rescued and rehabilitated 2,500 women and their tales exposed the racket of sex trade in various pockets of country.

“We realised it is crucial to sensitise men to stop atrocities against women,” she said.

Ms. Rajyalakshmi said people staged dharnas and went on strike for various demands but did little to denounce exploitation of hapless women and children.

Appreciating men who took the lead against prostitution, she said several factors like broken homes, domestic violence, illiteracy, poverty, unemployment force women and children step out of homes in search of better future but they get trapped and are forced into prostitution.

WD&CW Principal Secretary Chaya Ratan said 70 per cent of trafficked women were young girls denying them their childhood and better future.

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