MUMBAI: A prominent charity in India’s beach resort state of Goa called on the government on Thursday to do more to rescue thousands of women and children who are trafficked to the popular tourism spot every year for sexual exploitation and forced labor.

Home Ministry data show more than 5,000 women and children were rescued from various forms of modern day slavery in Goa in the first 10 months of 2015. But charities and police working to end human trafficking in the western coastal state disputed the data, saying they believed the number of victims rescued was much lower.

“The demand for commercial sex workers is high during the tourist season of October to February, but unfortunately there are very few rescues during this time as the police are busy with tourists and music shows and other activities,” said Arun Pandey, director of the charity Anyay Rahit Zindagi.

Almost 36 million people are enslaved worldwide — trafficked into brothels, forced into manual labor, victims of debt bondage or even born into servitude, according to the 2014 Global Slavery Index.