Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said youth from the coastal state were being trafficked to other countries with the promise of high-paying jobs.
Speaking at a state-level conference on human trafficking, the chief minister said that human trafficking was “not only about girls being trafficked for prostitution or other reasons, but we should also look into instances of boys who are lured with the high-salary jobs abroad”.
Youth being lured with the promise of high-paying jobs abroad and cheated by recruitment agents was also an instance of human trafficking, Sawant said.
The chief minister appealed to the state police to keep a close watch on advertisements by some agents about jobs abroad.
Sawant further said that a group of youngsters had approached his office a week ago with a complaint alleging that an agent had taken Rs 2.5 lakh each from them with a promise of jobs abroad.
“The agent had taken a couple of youngsters abroad earlier. When this group contacted those men abroad, they were informed that they were in trouble in the foreign country and one of them had also been arrested by the local police,” the chief minister said.
The youngsters approached the chief minister’s office, after which the police arrested the agent and made him return their money, he said.
Sawant appealed to Goan youth to work in the state by grabbing every available opportunity, rather than falling prey to lucrative job offers abroad.
“There are ample job opportunities in Goa for locals. There are opportunities in all the sectors, one has to take up the job of his choice,” the chief minister said.
At least two lakh jobs would be available in the hospitality sector in the next five years, he said, urging youth in the state to grab these opportunities and make their career.
There were several examples of youth being promised salaries like Rs 1 lakh per month abroad and when they land there, they realise that they have been cheated, Sawant said.
