Women Trafficking on rise

[Guest guest]

Women Trafficking on rise

Mohammad Khairul Alam, September 3, 2009, Updated: Bangladesh Time

Women and child trafficking is one of the greatest forms of human abuse in the

world today. Trafficking is lucrative and linked with criminal activity and

corruption. It is often hidden and hard to address. Day-by-day it is increasing

and taking various shapes worldwide.

Trafficking always violates the human's right to grow up in a family

environment. It is common is poor region, arms conflict or politically unstable

countries. But girls trafficking for sex trade are ordinary in every country. It

is a high profitable but less investment business. There are two types of

trafficking occurring, human trafficking within country (internal) and

trafficking is international border.

Girls and Child trafficking is one of the greatest forms of child abuse in the

world today, and in Bangladesh it is widespread and increasing. It is an

extension of the very serious hard or illicit labour problem, with poverty,

families and ignorance determinant in the vulnerability of girls to

exploitation.

The poverty levels of northern side of Bangladesh, along with the border it

shares with neighbouring country India are the primary reasons why women

trafficking are at such a high in Bangladesh.

Dinajpur is one such bordering district in the north-eastern part of Bangladesh.

4 upazillas (Hakimpur, Birampur, Nawabganj and Ghorahat) out of 13 upazillas of

the district have borders with the Indian state of West Bengal.

It is also reported that children are collected here from other parts of the

country and trafficked through these ports to India, Pakistan and Middle East

countries. Naturally the traffickers exploit the women, girls and children by

using sex trade and illicit labour.

World Concern's anti-trafficking program was developed with the expectation that

basic interventions can prevent children from being trafficked so they can live

meaningful lives in their home communities among their families.

Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation in Dhaka offer children opportunities

for education and work with families who are considering migration to another

region, which is common among families living in extreme poverty. They are

offered information about the dangers of trafficking and are made aware of

HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.

The traffickers, often known to the families, act as agents who offer lucrative

jobs to the girls and promise to take them to the cities.

The girls and young women are often vulnerable, and are tempted by the agents to

leave their families and join them for good jobs. Sometimes, the parents or

relatives themselves hand over their daughters to the agents. The agents often

escort the girls to a suburban Land ports boarder or transportation, and take

them across the boarder.

Then would start the next sequence for the trafficking victim. Girls are

trafficked into sex trade and hard labour in both formal and informal sectors,

for domestic labour, for begging, on construction projects and hazardous jobs.

In addition, most of the times, girls who have been trafficked face a range of

dangers, including violence and sexual abuse.

Women trafficking operations are small, medium and large scale and all

traffickers have well-known contacts with the trafficking operators, who are

often relatives, in source countries such as India, Nepal and Pakistan.

Supported relationships often exist between women and trafficking workers and

negotiator in the source country and these relationships influence women's

decision to accept or continue with the deal.

The Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation conducted a survey that focuses on

the attitude, behaviour and practice of FSWs in Goalondo Brothel. This study

points out that almost 53% of sex workers enter the profession before the age of

20 years, and 30% enter between 20 to 25 years of age, and some of them have

been entangled through instigation of the traffickers.

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