Church survey reveals Indian Catholic tribal women lured into slavery

Published: 2004-08-05

RANCHI, India (CNS) -- A survey by a Catholic agency in India revealed that Catholic tribal women are being lured into slavery and prostitution by recruiters who use "religious ways" to trick them. The Domestic Workers' Wing presented its findings July 29 to a regional bishops' meeting in Ranchi, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. Ranchi is the capital of Jharkhand state and the nerve center of the tribal church in eastern India. According to the survey, recruiting agencies from New Delhi and Mumbai use agents based in Ranchi to gain access to remote tribal villages. Father Cherubim Tirkey, spokesman for the regional bishops' council, told UCA News the bishops "expressed grave concern over the modus operandi of those involved in the flesh trade in the guise of placement agents."

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .