This is the message that the Government of India wants to give out to the women of Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
The Indian Consulates in these countries will now have stricter screenings for visa applications by women from these countries. I could not find the exact details regarding the changes made but the message is quite clear.
The reason cited is part of the national anti-prostitution campaign in the country. Stereotyping the women who want to visit India as majorly sex workers seems strange/outrageous to us but very typical of the usual reactions from the Indian Government.
Protests were staged by a women activist group simply called FEMEN which I think means Woman in Albanian (correct me if I am wrong). 4 activists from there group visited the residence of the Indian Ambassador in Ukraine.
They evinced their anger through staging a protest at the Ambassadors balcony topless with banners. “We're not prostitutes”, “Delhi, close their brothels”, “Ukrainka not prostitutes” and my personal favorite “INDite in the ass!” They also waved the Indian flag as well.
They evinced their anger through staging a protest at the Ambassadors balcony topless with banners. “We're not prostitutes”, “Delhi, close their brothels”, “Ukrainka not prostitutes” and my personal favorite “INDite in the ass!” They also waved the Indian flag as well.
As most Indian politicians and surprisingly bureaucrats react, the Ministry of External Affairs's (MEA) reaction is a mixture of prejudice, uneducated assumptions and immature reactions. We know we have incompetent, uneducated and corrupt parasites as political leaders but with the ridiculous levels of competition in the civil services in the country, one expects to get at least a few people with a sound head on their shoulders. Guess we were wrong.
Why are women from these countries being targeted? Why have the authorities remained incompetent in curbing prostitution so far? Why are the present laws on the same not being implemented? Why do the rehabilitation programs not get adequate funding? Why are they against prostitution in the first place? Why are women from these countries forced to defend themselves in the first place!?
Who are we, to label all women from these countries as possible prostitutes ?!
Who are we, to label all women from these countries as possible prostitutes ?!
India's tourism Industry desperately needs more foreign tourists. This seems like a fine way of improving things to the MEA. Granted that most foreign prostitutes in India are from these countries, but that is the fault of the Indian Police Forces and other agencies involved, not the whole countries'. This kind of approach is not acceptable at all. The Indian image is under constant threat from the same people responsible for maintaining it.
Let me say this and hopefully I represent a majority of Indians. We respect women. We welcome women tourists from everywhere and anywhere. And we won't judge you on your appearance or where you come from. (We have a lot of scope for that among ourselves and we duly exercise it on a regular basis.) We will probably charge you extra for a few things but will make sure that you have a pleasant and safe vacation/trip in India. ALL our welcome in India
