British police uncovered a syndicate that force Asian teenage girls into sexual slavery in the UK in the guise of performing traditional Indian dances and as part of promoting Bollywood films and music business. Tarique Ghaffur, Assistant Commissioner of Police, said the racket is part of Asian organized crime, which is becoming a major threat to law and order in London and other places. He added that this was reflected in the increase in the number of saunas and brothels, partly as a response to a decline in street sex trade. He said a large number of women came from Eastern Europe, but authorities have become aware of prostitution rackets and human trafficking around music groups linked to the Indian and Pakistani film industry. The women are usually smuggled into the country on the pretext that they would be involved in promotional work. Many were lured by promises of well-paid jobs as dancers or actresses.
The racket was discovered after police started investigating the 1999 murder of Pakistani-born London businessperson Tahir Butt. Butt was a restaurateur but police investigation revealed he was heavily involved in the sex trade racket. A few days before his death, he reportedly had a row with a rival promoter from Bradford who was trying to take over Butt’s operation.
US Muslims risk deportation
The US government is set to deport the largest number of visitors from Middle Eastern and other Muslim countries in the country. More than 13,000 of almost 83,000 men older than 16 years who have complied with the registration program are scheduled to be deported. According to lawyer Sohail Mohammed, Muslims are being singled out in the tightening immigration procedures after the 11 September attacks.
The deportation of people from the Middle East and other Muslim countries totaled about 1,300 annually in recent years. It reached about 2,800 after the 11 September attacks. Among the 25 nations on the list are Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Tunisia. One non-Muslim country on the list is North Korea.
Sources: Nurith C. Aizenman and Edward Walsh, “Immigrants fear deportation after registration,” The Washington Post, 28 July 2003; PTI, “Asian teenage girls forced into sexual slavery,” The Times of India, 28 July 2003