Human trafficking is an all-pervasive and deeply distressing issue that represents the twenty-first century’s slavery cases in the country. It is human trafficking that turns people into things, exposing them to the traumatogenic effect on personal development and society creation. Here’s the finding of the report done by the International Labour Organization (ILO) that 25 million people are trapped in human trafficking, and the number can just go up to 11. Millions of Indian people are among 1 lakh only from India.
Key human trafficking statistics in India
- Out of approximately 8 million people who are in the human trafficking trade all over India, that might be nearly the entire population of New York City.
- The amount of human trafficking victims in the South Asian and the Pacific Ocean regions is immeasurably higher than any other region across the globe.
- Two out of every five trafficking victims in India are forced to do odd jobs like working in brick kilns, textile factories, agriculture, and quarries, where they are treated inhumanely.
- The Indian data shows that sex trafficking is a major component of this problem, accounting for around 33% of all human trafficking cases.
- One outstanding fact is the number of victims who are children, especially girls in disappearance trafficking, as some 12-year-old girls are already found being sold for commercial sexual exploitation.
- The people that the traffickers prey on are from the lower social class, people from poor backgrounds, as well as vulnerable societies such as migrants and women, whereas men suffer the most.
Labor Trafficking
The problem of labor trafficking in India is quite grave, with the Indian government reporting the investigation of 2,189 cases under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2021. The conviction rate remains shockingly low, with only 64 brokers being tried in 32 cases of forced labor that same year, while 520 suspects were acquitted in 169 cases, leading to an 84 percent acquittal rate.
This situation is further delayed because only eight out of 36 states and territories in India could not identify any bonded labor victims or file cases under the Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act in 2021 while ongoing cases are being reported. UP had about 74% of all cases filed under the Bonds Labour System (Abolition) Act 2021, which indicates that the state has a disproportionally higher prevalence.
Sex Trafficking
In the same year, 2021, the Indian government revealed the dark truth of the matter by disclosing a shocking number of 2,049 unfortunate victims who had fallen prey to sex trafficking. On top of the number of victims were mostly women and girls, wherein the grimmest of whom were as young as 5 years of age, almost kidnapped young souls to a horrifying business. The tactics of the traffickers employed are ruthlessly manipulative and rapacious in their character.
It is not uncommon for these predators to lie to young girls with promises of employment or entrap them using fabricated romantic relationships. Through these deceptive tactics, the predator eliminates any lines of defiance in the young girls. In the most unfortunate of circumstances, criminals seize powerless children from poorly-off families and take them far away from their homes and families, thus increasing the problem’s severity.
In India, sex trafficking in towns like Mumbai and Kolkata is highly prevalent. Those victims are exposed to unspeakable painful treatments in the form of concerts, hotels, and hidden rooms. The widespread nature of such the ones which are abhorrent and unrevereable needs immediate action and joint work to defend the victims and to fight this crime.
Vulnerable Groups
India has a low caste woman, the “Dalit,” who is in terrible condition and suffering from the trafficking risk. Indeed, the most horrifying aspect of the situation is that some of these girls are deceived into a marriage with the local deity and then expected to become the sex slaves of people from their villages belonging to the higher castes. Human traffickers may either target women and girls from neighboring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh or prey upon their poor states. As a result, human trafficking prevails.
The criminals use the trick of sending the desperate victims false job advertisements with a promise of a better life above everything, and later, those victims become part and parcel of the vast, organized crime. Only on top of the issue of children who are homeless or runaway from states with economically sluggish regions like Assam, Odisha, and Jharkhand face the danger of trafficking.
A lot of these child brides are trafficked to be mutually supplementary for a large number of grooms who came from states such as Haryana and Punjab, where the ratio is in a rather disproportionate manner. This web of interconnected elements pinpoints the importance of whole-hearted measures to secure the rights and prosperity of these individuals and jaunt the root of the problem of human trafficking.
Regional Disparities
A few states in India are now infamous for human being trafficking, i.e., Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Maharashtra being reported on the top of the list. In addition to that, Goa, a state in the same region, is the densest spot of victims, which is demonstrated by its LQ (Location Quotient) value of 8. 18. Among these regions are the states of Delhi, Odisha, Mizoram, West Bengal, and some others which are also grave sources of victims of human trafficking.
What is worth noting is that the states of Odisha, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan have shown remarkable efforts in undoing many of the trafficking cases. These numbers highlight the crucial significance of oversight rehabilitation and reintegration programs to assist survivors and pervade positive change in their lives. Overcoming this problem calls for broad strategies that should comprise prevention, enforcement, and the support of victims nationally.
Impact of COVID-19
The first effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was to reduce the number of documented human trafficking cases, primarily due to the reduced mobility. Nevertheless, women were victims of traffickers in disguise who used their joblessness to hold them in debt bondage and forced labor. This made them more vulnerable. Continual awareness and comprehensive safety nets are necessary to generate methods that thwart those efforts and protect the vulnerable.
Challenges in Combating Trafficking
India faces several challenges in combating human trafficking, including India faces several challenges in combating human trafficking, including:
- Lack of political will and honesty on the part of local administrators, plus the absence of adequate legal measures against the traffickers on the different levels of government, are crucial factors of impunity.
- Insufficient budgets and training for law enforcement across all departmental ranks, including AHTU officers, have left most cases unresolved due to lack of prosecution.
- The same is the problem with the lacking of reporting of victims’ identity, safety services, and the most significant factor: rehabilitation; many survivors still have no access to the substantial help and assistance they need.
- Corruption and transgression of the official power, including funds for civil servants being accepted as a bribe and facilitating trafficking by law enforcement officials.
Conclusion
The problem of human trafficking in India is a challenging one due to its complicated as well as multifaceted nature, which requires special measures that are aimed at sticking to a holistic and long-term approach. Even though the government has employed many legislations and policies to control this challenge, daunting thorns will continue to slither their way through the efforts. Targeting the underlying elements of vulnerability, enhancing law enforcement capabilities, creating adequate victim protection, and promoting equity, including social well-being, are the key steps that must be taken to eliminate this crime. Bettering the awareness level, encouraging collaboration among the stakeholders, and respecting the rights of survivors greatly help India fight back against human trafficking and uphold the dignity and fundamentals of defenseless citizens.
