Movement against trafficking in Madhya Pradesh

MOVEMENT AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN MADHYA PRADESH

Trafficking of persons is a modern-day form of slavery, threatening the dignity and security of millions of people throughout the world. UN General Secretary Kofi Annan has noted "Slavery was, in a very real sense, the first international human rights issue to come to the fore. It led to the adoption of the first human rights laws and to the creation of the first human rights non-governmental organization. And yet despite the efforts of the international community to combat this abhorrent practice, it is still widely prevalent in all its insidious forms, old and new. The list is painfully long and includes traditional chattel slavery; bonded labour; serfdom; and forced labour, including of children, women and migrants, and often for the purpose of sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and ritualistic and religious reasons.

Introduction

Human Trafficking per se has never been a subject of aggressive debate in India. If at all there has been any deliberation it has been restricted to the Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) of communities such as Bedia and Bachara tribes living in certain pockets of Madhya Pradesh (Mandsaur, Ratlam, Sagar, Morena etc). The famous research book of Mr. P M Nair on trafficking in India has also not positioned Madhya Pradesh (except for few references) on the map of trafficking. Does that infer that MP is a safe place, untouched by the problem of trafficking? Facts point it otherwise. Madhya Pradesh is a potential source, transit and destination place of trafficking. The recent investigative reports of journalists have vividly shown that Madhya Pradesh is haven for the traffickers for its economic backwardness and other compulsions.

When we speak of Madhya Pradesh as place of source, transit and destination for trafficking, it becomes obligatory to justify the statement. In a nutshell we will try to comprehend the situation prevailing.

Source: Madhya Pradesh has been a place of supply of girls to the traffickers from Bedia and Bachara community for CSE, since long. In fact some study depicted that a considerable section of bar girls operating in Mumbai belonged to this community.

Transit: In the NGO Prernas’ publications on trafficking, they reported some survey claiming a sizeable number (in thousands) of girls being trafficked every year from Nepal and Bangladesh to Mumbai. It is logically understood that these girls cannot be airborne to Mumbai but have to cross MP which is on route to Mumbai from the above said source places. This clearly illustrates the situation of MP as transit place.

Destination: Due to skewed sex ratio in certain sections of society, girls have been trafficked to be married. Workers have also been trafficked from tribal and rural areas to urban centers or to owners of mines and brick kilns for cheap labour.

New Dimension: Recently a new chapter on trafficking of children from tribal areas has added into the annals of MP. In a Special Report- “Where is my daughter”, published in the National Weekly Magazine “The Week”, 10 September 2006 issue, it was reported that more than 5000 tribal girls were trafficked from tribal districts of Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat, Mandla, Dindori, Siwni). Around 500 children were trafficked from some villages of few police stations of Mandla district alone. This data they claim to be under reported and the situation is graver than we can comprehend. It was revealed that the majority of girls trafficked were minor on the pretext of being enrolled for domestic help by the agencies in Delhi and other places. The subsequent tyranny of the girls trafficked was a mystery for majority of parents. The pathetic part of the story is that despite seeing their neighbours plight these honest and modest tribal people are still falling prey to the allurements of the traffickers and children are being trafficked relentlessly, unabated.

Tribals are placed at the marginal end of development and hence are vulnerable to outside exploitation. Education is not up to the mark and those who are little educated imagine a greener pasture far from their traditional hamlets. Their susceptibility encourages the exploiters to victimize them.

Level of Operation required

work will have to aim on the issue of human trafficking at multiple levels.

1. Research and Documentation (Assess the ground situation)

§ The objective of research on the subject mentioned above would be to document the situation prevailing in the tribal areas of three districts-Balaghat, Dindori and Mandla. The socio-cultural and economic causes would be studied.

§ The role of law in dealing with this menace would be underlined and prospective mechanism to check the problem highlighted.

§ This study would be an aid to the agencies willing to come up with some projects to tackle this problem.

2. Work with the victims

§ Work concertedly towards tracing the victims. Towards this an inter-state network will need to be developed.

• Involve police and sympathetic organisation in the rehabilitation of victims.
• Educate and empower victims to rebuild their lives.

3. Work with communities

§ Develop an information campaign for the communities most affected by the menace of trafficking.

§ Build support groups to avoid trafficking as well as for re-integration of victims in community.