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Trafficking of Burma's women across the Indo-Burma border

Date : 25 October 1998
By    : MIZZIMA News Group

		India's Northeastern States of Manipur and Mizoram are
bordering with Burma's western states such as Chin State and Sagaing
Division. The two Indian states are naturally affected of the consequences
of the lack of political and economic stability in its neighbour. Heroin
use and HIV epidemics are now the two alarming problems in these two
states due to cross border spread of both heroin and HIV from Burma.
Estimated 50,000 refugees from Burma, mostly Chins and Kukis, are taking
shelter in the two Indian states due to economic turmoil in their
homeland. 

Women and girls from Burma occupy not less than half of the total refugee
population in India. They leave their native places to find jobs for
better earning in the borders of the country. In the process of looking
for jobs and reorganizing their lives, many women and girls from Burma
land up in sex industry in neighbouring countries. There are
well-documented reports of international human rights organizations like
Asia Watch on trafficking of Burmese women into Thailand as sex slaves. 

However, unlike in Thailand, the trafficking of Burmese women and children
into India is not yet documented. There is no governmental or non
governmental organizations working in the border on this particular
problem. 
According to Ms. Lalparmawii, Superintendent of Protective Home which is
under Social Welfare Department of Mizoram Government, most commercial sex
workers working in the state are Mizos originating from Burma. Most of
them come to Aizawl, capital of Mizoram, in search of work in homes,
printing press, tea shops, hotels, restaurants and various other
establishments. Others are divorcees and girls from poor families. These
women enter the profession due to poverty, family maladjustment, mental
problem and emotional problem.

Women and girls from Burma are occasionally found among the detainees in
the Protective Home. They usually hide their own identities and get
registered with the Home as Indian citizens. Otherwise they will be
charged with one more offense of entering India illegally. Between 1993
and 1998, there were 10 women and girls from Burma out of total 138
detainees in the protective Home. They were mostly from Tahen and Falam
townships of Burma. 
At the time of our interview with Ms. R. Lalnunmawii, social worker from
the Protective Home, there was one girl from Burma being detained at the
Home. The girl, 15 years old, was caught in Silcher in Assam State by the
local police being suspected to be working as sex worker. She along with
two others were sent to the Home while the case against her is pending in
a local court. (Working as sex worker is illegal under the Immoral Traffic
(Prevention) Act of 1986 in Mizoram State). The girl is from Chin Division
of Burma and her father died when she was nine. She stayed with her mother
at a border town and lived by selling vegetables. Later, she entered into
Mizoram and worked as maid in a home of a local Mizo. And she was
persuaded by another woman to go and work in Silcher. Even though she
denied of working as sex worker, the police and officials believed that
she was a sex worker. She will be detained at the Home upto one year in
which period, she will be reformed "as the skills-equipped training such
as tailoring and weaving courses are given". Then, she will be sent back
to Burma through the border. "Usually they come back to Mizoram and
continue working as sex workers. None of those women and girls who were
sent back to Burma actually did not reach their homes", said Ms. R.
Lalnunmawii from protective Home. In Silcher, GMC Hotel, Comfort Hotel and
Aradhana Hotel are known for keeping commercial sex workers. Mizoram
Welfare Department along with local police often raid the hotels and
Burmese were occasionally found. The girls get 200 to 600 Rs. per day
depending on the clients. 

Similar to Mizoram State, Burmese women and girls working in sex industry
of Manipur State is not yet documented. According to local NGOs working in
de-addiction and rehabilitation field, there is almost no record so far on
trafficking of Burmese women and girls across the border even though it
definitely exists in different ways. In Tamu township of Burma, which
borders with Moreh of Manipur State, there are 5 to 6 places where sex
workers are available. These places are functioned by bribing police and
military in the township. Due to poverty, women and girls from cities of
Burma such as Yangon, Mandalay, Sagaing come to the border town. Some of
them occasionally cross the border upto Imphal, capital of Manipur State. 

One of the alarming problem of Burmese sex workers in Mizoram and Manipur
State is HIV/ AIDS menace. In our interview with a doctor from Salvation
Army in Mizoram State, people from Burma are among the first who were
found with HIV. IV drug users and sex workers occupy the category of high
possibility of being infected with HIV/AIDS. At least one or two people
from Burma are found among the twenty HIV-patients who come to the clinic
of Salvation Army in Aizawl, Mizoram State.

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