Following the furore that was caused last year, when a British journalist captured on video one of the so-called ‘human safaris’ that have been known to take place in the Andaman Islands, the Supreme Court of India, on January 21, 2013, banned all tourists from travelling along the Andaman Trunk Road. The Andaman Trunk Road cuts through the territory of the Jarawas, a tribe of nomadic people that depend on hunting for survival and resemble the African Bushmen in appearance. It is the Jarawas who have been the unfortunate victims of these ‘safaris’ where they are treated as attractions and tourists are taken to ogle at them. In this particularly disturbing video, member of the Jarawas were seen dancing on the commands of tourists, some of whom tossed them food in return.

But the ban did not last more than seven weeks as the Island administration changed the requirements of the buffer zone around the Jarawa reserve leaving the Supreme Court no choice but to allow tourists to travel along the Andaman Trunk Road again. However, the problem of the ‘human safaris’ remained unresolved, leading a tribal rights group Survival International to propose a boycott of all travel to the Andaman Islands. On Tuesday, they launched a campaign asking travel companies and the public to boycott the destination until their demand of a ban on tourist travel on the road through the Jarawa’s land and the creation of an alternative route is met.

Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said, “The Andaman government is arguing that the road is a necessary lifeline for the north of the islands. It’s nonsense: in fact there’s no reason for the road. The route by boat is faster, more convenient and cheaper for islanders, so providing an alternative sea route is better for locals, tourists, and the Jarawa alike.”

Some have expressed reservations on whether a complete boycott was needed or should the attempt be to eliminate just this particular inhuman practice. But we all know that desperate times call for desperate measures.