The sixth conference of the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) that concluded today expresses deep concern over the portrayal of northeastern girls as drug peddlers and prostitutes by the Mail Today tabloid published from New Delhi.

The article titled "Druglords prey on N-E girls to act as peddlers" which appeared on page 4 of its January 28, 2008 edition was written by Kumar Vikram.

The story which only quotes an unnamed police officer and DCP (narcotics) A.S. Cheema of Delhi starts with a racist picturization and by the end of its opening paragraph, both Africans and northeastern girls are labelled as drug dealers and sex workers.

The opening paragraph says: "The next time a cocaine addict in Delhi orders for a fix, it's unlikely that an African man will be standing at the door. Instead, it'll probably be a young, trendy Northeast Indian girl. And for a few extra thousands, she'll put sex on offer as well."

The reporter also describes northeastern girls as offering a "combo pack of sex and drugs" and being between the age group of 22 to 30 years. The concluding remark which says, "And the person ringing the bell, in all probability, will be a Northeastern girl" reinforces the image further.

The report further says, "This entry (of the northeast girl), though, was quite a logical fallout of things. Most of the Nigerians peddlers were centred around the Munirka area in southwest Delhi, which has a large population of northeastern girls too." It even quotes an unnamed officer saying, "Most of these girls are call centre employees open to the idea of earning extra money. And the suspected peddlers were ready to lend a helping hand."

The report has not only shocked the people of North East India but also raised serious questions about the media ethics of the said tabloid which is edited by none other than Mr. Bharat Bhusan who is not only a very senior journalist but has also been linked with issues of North East India for a long time.

Such irresponsible reportage will not only reinforce the already existing gap between the people of the North East and the rest of the country, but it will also divide the country further on lines of ethnicity, community and sex.

It will also further reinforce the already existing mindset of the male community in Delhi and other metropolitan cities of India that northeast girls are "easy and have loose morals" -- a mindset which is not all true and which negates the rich culture and traditional upbringing that is in every home of the North East.

This will in turn bring about an increase in the cases of sexual harassment of northeastern girls in Delhi and other metropolitan cities of India just because they look different and belong to a different community.

It must be remembered that these young people move out from their homes in search for better educational and work opportunities, just as people from Delhi move to other parts of the country and the world. Therefore tagging such labels as "drug peddlers" and "sex workers" on them without substantiation will hamper their futures also.

> The NWMI considers such reportage as irresponsible and unjustified, and reflective of prejudices about women from the Northeast. As a network of professional media women, we appeal to the media to refrain from such stereotyping and discrimination that serves to further alienate an already marginalized section.

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