Guwahati, July 28: More girls from Assam and other states of the Northeast are finding their way to Siliguri’s red light area every year.

A study on immoral trafficking across the Assam-West Bengal boundary revealed that 48 per cent of the sex workers are from Assam. The study was conducted at Khalpara in Siliguri by the Global Organisation for Life Development (GOLD). The Khalpara brothel is situated between Siliguri town and Siliguri railway station. It is a cosmopolitan area and frequented by businessmen and tourists.

Most of the traffickers are so-called fake husbands who force their wives into prostitution or sell them to agents or brothel-owners.

They take advantage of the poor economic status of the girls, most of whom also lack community support network (in case of fake marriages) and are victims of domestic violence, unemployment and illiteracy. There is ample evidence of trafficking of minor girls.

The report found that 60 per cent of the girls were trafficked from the char areas of Barpeta, Darrang, Dhubri, Goalpara and the slum areas of Guwahati like Hatigaon, Pandu and Barak Valley. “The traffickers use different strategies and take advantage of the prevailing poverty. The incidence of trafficking shoots up during floods and other calamities of similar nature. Sudden raids are launched in Siliguri to rescue the girls, but it is not a solution to the problem,” said Rajib Sarma of GOLD.

“A short-stay home for rehabilitation of girls rescued from the brothels should be set up. There should also be provision for effective counselling and training for skill-development and empowerment,” he added. The organisation had recently helped Farida Begum, who was rescued from a brothel at Paltan Bazar here, to start a tea shop.

Earlier, Shanti Vahini, an NGO from Delhi, had claimed that girls from Assam are being trafficked to different areas in Haryana.