New Delhi, June 21: Human trafficking in India has become an organised crime generating a business worth USD eight million (Rs 36.77 crore), with an alarming number of women and children being trafficked, according to a group working with migrant communities in the country.
And India, says Global Citizens Trust (GCT), is becoming a hub for prostitution, pornography and cyber crime and a growing destination for sex tourists from the west.
"Trafficking can be disguised as migration, commercial sex or marriage. But what begins as a voluntary decision often ends up as trafficking as victims find themselves in unfamiliar destinations, subjected to unexpected work," said E Rajarethinam of GCT, at a conference on "regional networking on bilateral agreement and support services to combat human trafficking: the role of media" here today.
A large number of women and children from neighbouring countries are also trafficked into the country, with around 10,000 persons brought in from Nepal annually, according to Kumar Yaru, editor of Rajdhani national daily, a Nepalese newspaper.
Action against Trafficking and Sexual exploitation of Children (ATSC) also says around 10,000 Bangladeshis are annually trafficked internally and externally, India being one of the destinations.
Pointing out that trafficking is deeply related to deprivation, Jill Shirey, a consultant at American Centre for International Labour Solidarity (ACILS) said that people are "forced into accepting unknown jobs due to lack of options."
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, June 21, 2006, 00:00