In an advisory to all states, the Home Ministry said if after investigation, the woman or the child is found to be a victim, she should not be prosecuted under the Foreigners Act and immediate steps should be taken for her repatriation to her country of origin.
The move comes after many girls from Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and even European countries were arrested in high-profile raids in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore recently.
There were allegations that these girls travelled to India on tourist visas and were involved in flesh trade to cater to high-end clients. Delhi Police had last year unearthed such rackets in Delhi's Greater Kailash, South Extension and Chhattarpur areas.
In February, a group of Ukrainian women gate-crashed into the Indian embassy in capital Kiev, tore down the tricolour and threw it on the ground to lodge their protest against an Indian directive that all Ukrainian women aged between 15 and 40 should be screened with extraordinary care when they apply for a visa to India.
The latest Home Ministry directive said if the probe reveals that the woman did not come to India or did not indulge in crime out of her free will, the state government should not file a charge sheet under the Foreigners Act and other relevant laws and steps should be taken to withdraw the case from prosecution so far as the victim is concerned. MORE
