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Child Trafficking in India

The trafficking of children can be defined as, "The sale and purchase of children for gain, within the country and across borders, by deceit, fraud or force, resulting in exploitation of the person trafficked". Trafficking affects thousands of women and children every year. The nature and scope of trafficking ranges from industrial and domestic labor, to forced early marriages, and commercial sexual exploitation. India has become an origin, transit, and destination country f or trafficking persons. Such neighboring countries as Bangladesh and Nepal are involved in these crimes, and in many cases these persons are trafficked to areas in the Persian Gulf, Middle East, and Europe. Presently India is one of the major sources involved in this child trafficking situation. According to a report by the National Commission for Women (NCW) there are currently 1,794 identified places of origin from where females are trafficked and 1,016 areas where commercial sexual activities take place. Some of the most affected states include Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, and Bihar. The Estimated number of commercial sex workers is about 28 lakh with over 43 percent being minors. What is even more disturbing is the fact that m ore than 22 percent of these women are sold or forced into trafficking by family and friends. Poverty is one of the major causes leading to people becoming victims of trafficking. Faced with few options to help provide for their families these women and ch ildren become vulnerable to the sex trade. Often the victims are lured into the trade by the false promise of a job. Evidence suggests that children in need of special protection belong to communities suffering from disadvantage and social exclusion such a s scheduled casts and tribes. Nepal and Bangladesh provide the largest source of women and children being trafficked into India. Girls as young as seven years are trafficked from economically depressed neighborhoods in Nepal and Bangladesh, to the major pr ostitution centers of Mumbai, Calcutta, and Delhi. These girls are locked up for days, starved, and beaten until they learn to service up to 25 clients a day. Trafficking in Nepalese women and girls is less risky than smuggling in narcotics and electronic equipment. India is a sending, receiving and transit nation, receiving children from these areas and sending them to Middle Eastern nations is a daily occurrence. Human trafficking is difficult to detect at an early stage due to the fact that victims have the expectation that traffickers are supporting them and arranging legitimate work for them in another location. Police are often paid by brothel owners to ignore the situation. A recent survey by the National Human Rights Commission states that

only 7 percent of police personnel have received any kind of training. The percentage of convicted traffickers is low, and as little as 22 percent of traffickers are convicted. The sufferers of trafficking are often "re-victimized" by the law by being arrested on charges of soliciting. Moreover, commitments to protect the human rights of women and girls trafficked into prostitution are more difficult to fulfill when they are treated as criminals under national anti-prostitution laws. Opportunities for rehabilitation remain scare and the reintegration process is arduous. There is a great need for better shelter facilities for the victims. The laws related to trafficking have so many loopholes that the crimes go on being perpetuated without fear. Certain laws are relat ed to only women or children, or to trafficking for religious purposes, so the law can allow trafficking to continue because the situation may not apply to the specific wording of a law. There needs to be a better law that also addresses all the underlying issues that trafficking creates such as trust, pain, and trauma suffered by the victims. The Indian Penal Code has no specific provision on trafficking. The IPC provisions that can be used are related to kidnapping and abduction, importation of minor girls for illicit intercourse, selling and buying girls for prostitution, and slavery and forced labor. The IPC does not contain any provision for abetment to trafficking or attempting to traffic in any form. Child trafficking is a crime of such great magnitud e that it cannot be dealt with by the government alone. There is a serious need for a comprehensive legislation on child trafficking that addresses all the forms and purposes of trafficking children. This global problem requires a global, multi -stakeholder strategy that builds on national collaborative efforts throughout the world. World Vision India has a project exclusively dealing with Child trafficking and labour Siliguri, West Bengal. Though it is still in the initial stage but could make some remarkable breakthrough by establishing and leading the transnational Anti Trafficking Network, building excellent relationship with the local service providers and working with the local CSOs. As this project further advances, we believe that together we all shall be better informed and would be able to make a dent in the area of Child Trafficking in India. We also believe, every citizen of this country is responsible in creating awareness and mobilize a collective voice against child trafficking.