Manish Kumar
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: Social activist Sunita Krishnan, who played a key role in framing the anti-rape law after the infamous Nirbhaya case, was in the city Wednesday. The Padma Shri awardee is known for her activism against rape, gender violence and human trafficking. She spoke with Orissa POST on issues ranging from human trafficking from Orissa to Sectioin 377. Excerpts:
Q: What is the impact of your ongoing campaign against human trafficking using caravans?
A: The response had been tremendous and is beyond expectations. We had expected only 200–300 people to attend the sensitisation programmes in rural areas. But now we have been witnessing around 10,000 people on average flocking to our programmes through word of mouth. Our caravans carry experts and victims of trafficking and help awaken people to the issue and to make them aware of ways to prevent it.
Q: Why did you choose Orissa as part of the project?
A: Our team is based in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. During our operations, we have often rescued young girls and boys trafficked from Orissa, which hints at a syndicate of traffickers in the state. Through such victims we try to make people aware about how they can avoid such situations, the legal remedies they can seek, and the modus operandi of the traffickers.
Q: What is the intensity of the human trafficking in Orissa?
A: Most states do not have specific data on human trafficking cases. But the highest number of trafficking cases emerges from India. Globally about 3 million cases of trafficking come to the fore annually from prostitution alone. Human trafficking is now the third largest organised crime in the world.
Q: What are the reasons behind trafficking?
A: There are various reasons; one is pornography. There is high demand for pornography in Orissa. This creates demand in the market and gives an impetus to the crime. With greater consumption of pornography the demand of children for paid sex has increased. Most girls and kids rescued tell us customers or rapists wanted them to do things according to some pornographic tapes, which in many cases are actually brutal. Pornography creates space for paid sex and evokes feelings of sexual violence.
Q: What impact did your ‘shame the rapist campaign’ have?
A: The campaign brought to light that rape videos are of two varieties — one in which the victim is randomly chosen and the other in which the rape is perpetrated as an act of revenge. The CBI is now looking into this. A large number of cases, which were earlier not reported, are being reported since the campaign. It has brought many such acts before the people.
Q: A curative petition challenging criminalisation of same gender sex has been filed in the SC. Your take …
A: Every person has his own sexual orientation, which is completely biological and their private affair. We need to respect their orientation. But we should also need to understand that the section also implies to sodomy. We must acknowledge that men are also sexually exploited. But it is unfortunate that the whole debate of Sec 377 has been confined to homosexuality. A healthy debate in parliament is needed over this.
Q: You played a key role in framing the anti-rape law following the Nirbhaya case. Has the situation improved since its enactment?
A: Several provisions have been made stricter since the Nirbhaya case. Now we have several measures on paper that could act as a deterrent to crimes such as rape. But we need more time to analyse how such provisions are being implemented on the ground.