Bane of Baina – A year later

By ALISTER MIRANDA & PREETU NAIR

BAINA: With great enthusiasm, the Parrikar-led government wiped out 800 to 1,200 homes and shacks on a rainy morning on 14 June, 2004. However, once the bulldozers razed the houses, the government that claimed to have effective and advanced planning for events, lost its initial enthusiasm and comfortably forgot to rehabilitate the people.

After demolition, many residents were found sitting in groups amongst the debris, while some of them found shelter in a nearby building that was under construction.

According to the president of the NGO Savera, Tara Kerkar, not many of those displaced are commercial sex workers, because "the prostitutes would leave and go to some other place after three months or so". "Even now these girls come to Goa and do business. That is why I would like to point out that the majority of those who are displaced are those not involved in the flesh trade. Many of those who stayed in the area are working with the municipality, PWD, electricity department, etc. They preferred to live here because the rent was low. There were around 400 houses belonging to fakirs alone. The demolition came about only because of Parrikar's dadagiri and hukumshahi. He made huge promises, but did not keep them. He is being cursed by all those who have been displaced and not rehabilitated," Tara adds.

Crucial is the fact that the promises made to the poor had no meaning for the government. How agonized we are about how people die? How untroubled we are by how they live?

The Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court in its order stated that as part of the rehabilitation plan, the state Government has selected a huge building, situated at Ribandar (Old Bal Niketan) with all basic facilities, where all these people could be accommodated. This was to be a "transit camp" and eventually the detailed plans for rehabilitation and resettlement had to be drawn up.
But the residents of Ribandar opposed the plan and there was no "alternate site" assured. Even the National Commission for Women (NCW) did not agree that CSWs, brothel keepers and pimps who were the perpetrators of the crime, be housed together in the rehabilitation package.

Further, the High Court order said that in the event displacement is inevitable, the state government should provide appropriate rehabilitation measures such as shelter, livelihood, health facilities and vocational assistance. But the report of Forum for Justice in Baina, an independent fact-finding committee on the Baina issue, says that though Swati Kerkar, Chairperson of the Goa State Commission for Women (GSCW), on April 27, 2004 stated that short stay homes and jobs would be provided and added that a survey was being conducted to know how many children are there, how many schools are available, etc, so far nothing has materialized.

"However, contrary to Kerkar's statement, the socio-economic survey gives no figures of how many children are housed in Baina, how many are school going children and how many schools are available? No proper rehabilitation plan has been chalked out. Now, with the area being razed to the ground, the victims, that is, the CSWs as well as those not into prostitution, have been displaced without any alternate facilities", the report said.

Tara is critical of the GSCW for its ineffectiveness. "While policemen kicked women, those from the Women's Commission smiled and looked on as mere spectators. It was shocking. The Mahila commission chairperson Swati Kerkar does not really know what the commission she heads is meant for," she says. " Perhaps knowing that would have never allowed them to carry out the demolition, the police arrested me on 13 June while I was taking to the press and I was bailed out on 14 June at 11 pm ," she adds.

Forum for Justice in Baina is an alliance of organizations and individuals concerned with issues affecting the rights and human dignity of the residents of Baina beach red-light area. The member organizations include Baina Rahivasi Sangh, Baina Mahila Mandal, Bailancho Saad, Bailancho Ekvott, Children's Rights in Goa, Childline, Positive People, Arz, Jan Ugahi, Population Services International, Forum for Communal Harmony, Sandarsh and Vikalp.
But there are many who do not trust these NGO. And among them is former Mormugao MLA John Manuel Vaz from Baina. "The commercial sex workers are like milking cows for the NGOs. Behind all their actions is vitamin M," says Vaz, who spearheaded a movement to get the CSWs out of Baina. But just one NGO was singled out for praise. "The only NGO which has worked selflessly for the good of the prostitutes is Asha Sadan, which is run by the Sisters from Sancoale," points out Tara.

The direction of the Court clearly states that "The GSCW with the National Commission for Women to take steps so that the said women are rehabilitated in the State from where they hail with the assistance of the respective State Governments". Forum for Justice in Baina report, says that though at first efforts were made by the GSCW initially to follow this directive of the High Court, later there was absolutely no involvement of the Andhra Pradesh or Karnataka governments nor was there proper coordination between GSCW and NCW".

"I wanted to rehabilitate the sex workers. And if I had help from the government I would have done it in 1997 itself," Vaz says.

Now with the Parrikar-led government nudged into the sidelines, all the affected are hopeful that Chief Minister Pratapsing Rane will deliver what his predecessor couldn't. "Let us see what Rane will do. We demand that those displaced be rehabilitated in the same area," says Tara.