Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bhubaneswar (Agenzia Fides) – "There are alarming reports of trafficking of young women on a large scale in Orissa. The victims are mostly young Christian women. The violence against Christians in 2008 gave the opportunity for criminal groups to find easy prey among the refugees and the poor. If the state government does not take adequate measures, Orissa could become a realm for human traffickers" Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar tells Fides. The local Church, he says, is using all its resources to combat this abhorrent phenomenon, especially in an effort to protect young girls.
After surveying the diocesan territory, 24 girls were identified as being at risk (because they live alone, are without family, or live in extreme poverty), and they were introduced into colleges, schools, and educational or religious facilities run by the Church, Fides was told by Fr. Dibakar Parichha, Secretary of the Commission for Justice and Peace of the diocese.
The Catholic community witnessed how gangs laid eyes on Orissa following the wave of anti-Christian violence that endangered the lives of over 60,000 faithful. Many of them are still camped in tents. In September 2009, when the refugee camps organized by the government were closed, more than 3,500 IDPs found no other solution than to take shelter in tents and makeshift shelters. Sister Justine Senapai, head of the Diocesan Commission for Women, told Fides that, along with a team of four volunteers and other local NGOs, she is working tirelessly to combat the troublesome phenomenon of girls being abducted.
Even the civil authorities and local police have had to deal with the problem of trafficking of women and there was a recent case of 16 girls being rescued from trafficking gangs.
The All-India Christian Council, an organization that also provides legal assistance to survivors, said: "The traffickers have targeted Christian girls in the district of Khandamal. We recorded several cases of girls disappearing. We urgently need to join forces to stop this terrible case."
Here is a testimony sent to Fides: Jyothi (imaginary name) is a Christian girl that formed part of the exodus of faithful from Khandamal, after the violence of 2008. She was lured in by a smuggler, with the promise of a job and a new life and was taken to Delhi. Once near the city, she realized that she had fallen into the hands of a criminal organization: she was repeatedly threatened, beaten and sexually abused for six long days, and reduced to slavery. The head of the gang then sent her to work as a maid for a family of Delhi. There, as well, the girl suffered physical and sexual violence. She was finally rescued following a police alert. She now bears obvious signs of violence on her body and is in a state of psychological exhaustion. From now on, the Catholic volunteers in Orissa will be taking care of her. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 09/22/2010)
