Many women in the State are being lured abroad with the promise of a job and being forced into the flesh trade. What is common to the sex rackets uncovered in the last few years is the presence of a woman agent. These agents identify women from poor families and dangle the bait of a job abroad as a housemaid or a cook. Once they are tricked into flying abroad, racketeers abuse and force women into prostitution.
The latest such case to come to light is that of a 24-year-old woman, daughter of labourers from Kochi. It was a female acquaintance who offered to get the woman a job as a housemaid in Singapore. Such an offer from an older, familiar woman did not strike the victim or her parents as odd. It was only when she reached Geylang, a red light area in Singapore, that she realised she had been tricked. The police arrested 58-year-old Jagadamma, believed to be the main agent of the racket, from Aluva on Thursday. Full story
