Trafficking

Trafficking is everywhere

It’s a global problem. Because it is a hidden crime, gathering reliable statistics on the magnitude of the problem is a challenge. These statistics are estimates based on data currently available.

• The US State Department and the International Labour Organization estimate that 12.3 to 27 million people are trapped in modern day slavery.
• It is estimated that over 80% of those trafficked are women and nearly 50% are children below 18 years of age.
• The International Labour organization (ILO) estimates that over 200 million children worldwide are involved in child labour.
• Over 2 million children are trapped in the child sex tourism industry of which 42% are featured in pornographic material.
• The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in its report in 2006 estimates that people are being trafficked from 127 countries to be trafficked to 137 countries.

UNODC's response to smuggling of migrants in South Asia

According to the 2009 International Organization for Migration (IOM) report, of the total number of illegal migrants in 2008, 4.3 percent were from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region. Global instruments like the United Nations Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, known as the Migrants Protocol entered into force in 2003. In line with the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its protocol on migrant smuggling, UNODC, aims to further strengthen the national and regional responses to prevent migrant smuggling and promote safe mobility in the region. According to the 2009 International Organization for Migration (IOM) report, of the total number of illegal migrants in 2008, 4.3 percent were from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region.
Global instruments like the United Nations Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, known as the Migrants Protocol entered into force in 2003. The Protocol aims to:

• prevent and combat the smuggling of migrants
• protect the rights of smuggled migrants, at investigation and prosecution
• promote cooperation between states

Research By Shivani Singh

It’s hard to imagine that a world true reality. India is listed in the Tier II list of the UN which includes countries which have failed to combat human trafficking. Human trafficking as defined by the UN is, “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or service, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.”

It is a really sad situation which India in all states almost every city there are certain parts filled with brothels and red light area. Human trafficking includes sexual exploitation, labour trafficking, etc.Cross-border human trafficking is increasing day by day , presently India is a huge populated and our decreasing economy many people live below the poverty line in various places in india . The smugglers and traffickers give false promise to give better life- a ray of hope, jobs as domestic servants in hospitals and corporate, bollywood or in factories etc. They offer some money, exclusive trip, resort and hotels invitations or false and fake promises for marriage.

The main targets are the people who lack job opportunities, who have been victim to regional imbalances or social discrimination, mentally disturbed, or the people who have growing deprivation and are from the marginalized communities or people caught in debt bondages or because their parents think that their children are burden and sell them off – in simple words- the poor, helpless people are the ones who are exploited the most.

It has now become an organized institution and we as youth have to do everything to remove this social vice from our country because the deliberate institutionalized trafficking of human life is the greatest degradation to the dignity of human personality. Human trafficking happens because of a simple concept which the traffickers believe in- that the human body is a expendable, reusable “commodity”. Several things happen during a “human being sale” from selecting, tricking, intimidation and deception of the victim to the transportation of them to the “location”. Then comes the possible change to the “central place” where the actual trafficking takes place in large numbers, there are many elements involved.

The recruiters are the first in the chain –often called as the “dalals” – they may be parents, neighbours, relatives or lovers or people who have been trafficked before. The dalals move to the “potential sites” for victims which mostly are the poverty-stricken areas where there has been no proper rehabilitation and then they haunt the bus stops, railway stations, streets, etc. The period they choose for trafficking depends on if that place has suffered a drought or social or political disasters recently, so that it would be easier to lure in the already suffering victims. The dalals use drugs, abduction, kidnapping, persuasion or deception to bag the targets.

The dalals usually happen to know many languages, including the local one, so that they become closer to the victim. Because in India corruption is so deep rooted, the network of such people sometimes includes the police, the visa/passport officials, taxi/auto rickshaw drivers, etc. They hand the victims to the brothel owners, escort services, or managers of a sex establishment. The reasons for human trafficking are many, despite 60 years of independence, the benefits of economic development have not trickled down to the marginalized sections of the society and millions of people still live below the poverty line. The poverty and hunger makes children and women belonging to the poor sections of the society highly vulnerable to human trafficking. Social and religious practices too have been a big cause. There is an inexplicable apathy in the approach of law enforcement agencies when it comes to dealing with human trafficking. Purposes include forced prostitution, marriage, domestic labour, bonded labour, agricultural labour, industrial labour, entertainment, begging, adoption, drug smuggling and peddling and organ transplants .As India sees towards the world, it leaves behind the scars on its ground –the poor who are exploited.

We can take help of the media-spread awareness. The government, in association with the NGO’s, is taking steps to improve the situation but this much is NOT enough. We as youngsters should stop this. Even little things like helping out the malnourished, poor or treating the house maids properly can make a difference because they form the major causes for human trafficking. Multinational enterprises that enter the Indian economy can lead by example. They can refuse to do business with companies that knowingly engage in the inhumane practices of employing bonded laborers.

The Indian government has laid down laws in the Constitution like the Suppression of Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act, 1956, The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, and many others . In September 2006, the Indian government responded to the trafficking issue by creating a central anti-trafficking law enforcement “nodal cell.” The nodal cell is a federal two-person department responsible for collecting and performing analysis of data related to trafficking, identifying the causes of the problem, monitoring action taken by state governments, and holding meetings with state-level law enforcement. In 2007, three state governments established anti-trafficking police units, the first of this kind in the India.

The emerging scenarios are certainly positive but displaying full-page advertisements against child labour, women slaves, etc in national newspapers at periodic intervals is not enough. We have to wake up before it’s too late. We can take up community surveillances which will help check ongoing trafficking activities. Establishing women’s groups which will help take care of the women in the underprivileged societies since women and girls are the most affected victims. We as the youth can take up initiatives to spread awareness programs in villages, local schools, among kids of the poor society and children suffering from parents and poor conditions where help can be provided.

Another initiative which can be taken up is the involvement of the trafficked victims and helping them tell their story so that this kind of inhuman treatment doesn’t happen to others. Human trafficking lowers the value of human life; it brutalizes the society and violates our belief in the human capacity for a change. So let’s work for a better future for our country and CHANGE- something that India only talks about, let’s turn it into reality.

Professionalism of WCWF

Recognizing the minor's n forced major girls who have been subject to abuse beyond our imagination deserve the absolute best, we work with very experienced and skilled staff and partners and immediate make plans with the help of local police and CBI for rescue operation, under observation of home ministry..

International vision of WCWF: Because trafficking doesn't stop at borders, our approach to fighting trafficking has to be international. This is why we partner with government agencies and NGOs in different countries like Nepal org and Bangladesh. We believe multidisciplinary approach jointly work together in the interest of a victim of trafficking.

Partnerships and bonding: WCWF believes that strong partnerships with law enforcement, community organizations and NGOs will result in better support for victims of trafficking. For prevention of trafficking we search for to support women and children in every aspect of life we do advocacy with local police and print media journalist, because journalism is strong resources to pass your message to people and govt.