Pak

KARACHI, Dec 30; They are kidnapped, ``married'' off to agents by unsuspecting parents, or enticed by prospects of a better life -- but thes...

KARACHI, Dec 30; They are kidnapped, “married” off to agents by unsuspecting parents, or enticed by prospects of a better life — but these Bangladeshi and Myanmarese women finally end up in the brothels of Pakistan.After making the perilous journey, often on foot across India, they would probably be luckier to move into domestic slavery along with their children.

But more likely, they are forced into selling their bodies by brothel owners. The numbers involved in the trafficking of this human cargo are staggering: between 100 to 150 women are estimated to enter Pakistan illegally every day. Few ever return to their homes in remote poverty-stricken areas which are the favourite hunting grounds of the dalals or agent.

Karachi-based advocate Zia Ahmed Awan, who is with the Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA), estimates that there are over 200,000 undocumented Bangladeshi women in Pakistan, including some 2,000 in jails and shelters across the country.

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A Sindh police report in 1993 found that Bangladeshis comprise 80 per cent, and Myanmaese 14 per cent of Karachi’s undocumented immigrants. The report indicates that border police and other law enforcement agencies are well aware of the trafficking through entry points into Pakistan like Lahore, Kasur, Bahawalpur, Chhor and Badin. Big money is involved in the trafficking of humans. In 1988, posing as a potential client, this correspondent found that the going price for a Bengali or Burmese woman was between $1,500 to $2,500 — depending on age, looks, docility and virginity.

The price has remained steady, as has the momentum of the “trade”, thanks to the connivance of those tasked to prevent it. For each child or woman sold, the police is reported to claim a 15 to 20 per cent commission.

In 1991, a reporter from the Jang newspaper, posing as a buyer, was assured that the police would not interfere and would even escort him back home with his purchase. “Where do you want to go? Rawalpindi, Gujarat, Lahore. . . . Wherever you go, it is my responsibility. The police will not say anything,” the reporter was told.