India Among Top Human Trafficking Destinations: UN

[Guest guest]

India Among Top Human Trafficking Destinations: UN

Wednesday 03rd of October 2007 India is emerging as a leading

destination for human trafficking in South Asia, with over 35,000

young girls and women from Bangladesh and Nepal being brought into

the country every year, the United Nations said here Wednesday.

'Human trafficking is world's third largest profit-making illicit

industry and in south Asia India is among the favoured destinations.

Here people are mostly trafficked from Bangladesh and Nepal,' said

, chief of UN office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) here.

'In India 20,000-25,000 women and children are trafficked from

Bangladesh annually, while 5,000-15,000 are brought illegally from

Nepal for the primary purpose of prostitution and slavery,'

said ahead of the global conference UN.GIFT, to be held in the

capital Oct 10-11.

The conference is likely to be attended by several union ministers

and Bollywood personalities including Abraham, Amisha Patel,

Kiron Kher and Onir.

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan will send a special message for the fight

against human trafficking.

'The more devastating fact is that now Nepali girls below 10 years

are being forced into the trade. In the 1980s (trafficked) girls were

mostly in the age group of 14-16 and in 1994 the age further reduced

to 10-14.

'But last year girls below 10 were found trapped into the human

trafficking business. This not only puts their lives in peril but

also exposes them to higher risk of HIV/AIDS,' told IANS.

The UN official said that 2-3 million people are trafficked annually

in and out of India and, most disturbingly, a large number of people

from states like West Bengal and Orissa and the northeastern region

are trafficked to metropolitan cities like Delhi and Mumbai for

various reasons.

According to the UN definition, trafficking in persons means the

recruitment, transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by

means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion

abduction, of fraud, for the purpose of exploitation.

P.R. Nair, project coordinator with UNODC, said: 'People from these

states are trafficked to work in dance bars, pubs, restaurants,

friendship clubs, massage parlours and for domestic chores.'

To combat this ever-escalating problem the state governments must set

up anti-human trafficking cells and coordinate among themselves, he

suggested.

Nair added that very few states - Andhra Pradesh, Goa and West

Bengal - have set up such mechanisms.

Asked about what initiative the UN is taking to curb human

trafficking, Nair said: 'We are closely working with states and are

also providing special training to police officials dealing with

human trafficking victims.

'We also design various programme and guidelines related to the

issue. Our teams jointly work with NGOs in rescuing and

rehabilitating the victims,' he added.

Nair said that 96 rescue operations have been conducted so far this

year and 800 victims including 662 minors were rescued. 'A total of

1,008 traffickers and 220 customers were also arrested.'

Roma Debabrata, who runs an NGO 'STOP' for such people, said the need

of the hour is more and quick conviction of those involved in human

trafficking.

http://newspostindia.com/report-17431