Trafficking of women-causes, effects

and response

Introduction: Trafficking is the organized crime which violates the basic human rights for
the purpose of slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, organ transplant, begging, circus
and forced marriage. The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
especially Women and Children, popularly known as the Trafficking Protocol was adopted by
the United Nations in Palermo, Italy in 2000. It is an international legal agreement attached
to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. This protocol tries
to facilitate co-operation of the member nations to solve the issue of trafficking. The United
Nations has listed India in its Tier II List as a country who has failed to combat the problem
of human trafficking especially of women. In India women are treated as commodities and
are sold in the open market. The women are trafficked from neighboring countries like
Bangladesh, Nepal to India and in many cases are trafficked to gulf countries, Middle East
and Europe. Women trafficking are mostly found in states like Goa, Assam, Orissa, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.

Human trafficking is a group of crimes involving the exploitation of men, women and
children for financial gains which is violation of fundamental human rights. Victims are lured
or abducted from their homes and subsequently forced to work against their wish through
various means in various establishments, indulge in prostitution or subjected to various
types of indignities and even killed or incapacitated for the purposes of begging and trade in
human organs. Human trafficking as defined by the UN is, “the recruitment, transportation,
transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by means of the threat or use of force or other
forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a
position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the
consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or
other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or service, slavery or practices similar to
slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.” It‟s hard to imagine that a world which talks
about love, peace and brotherhood amongst fellow human beings has a dark secret staring
and mocking at its true reality. India is listed in the Tier II list of the UN which includes
countries which have failed to combat human trafficking. The concept of trafficking denotes
a trade in something that should not be traded in. It is a really sad situation which India is
facing. In almost every city there are certain parts filled with brothels. Human trafficking
includes sexual exploitation, labour trafficking, etc.
Trafficking in women and children is the most abominable violation of human rights.
Perhaps not many crimes are as ghastly as trading in human misery. Human rights
guaranteed by the Indian Constitution are inalienable, non-negotiable and universal.
Trafficking in women and children is a violation of several human rights including the very
right to life, the right to liberty and human dignity, and security of person, the right to
freedom from torture or cruelty, inhuman or degrading treatment, the right to a home and
family, the right to education and proper employment, the right to health care and
everything that makes for a life with dignity. Trafficking in women and children is on the
rise. And yet, the redressal mechanisms are woefully inadequate and the way the various
governmental agencies have dealt with this gross violation of human rights has left much to
be desired. This dichotomy calls for an in-depth understanding of the dimensions of
trafficking in India as also the need for creating an authentic database, which would help
devise appropriate measures to protect human rights with greater vigour. In view of the
rising graph of trafficking in women and children, the ‘Focal Point’ in the NHRC on the
human rights of women (including matters relating to trafficking), chaired by the Member of
NHRC, Hon’ble Justice (Smt.) Sujata V. Manohar, called a meeting of a select group of
persons concerned with the issues, representing UNIFEM, UNFPA, DWCD, CBI and NHRC. In
the course of several rounds of meetings and discussions it was decided that NHRC, in
collaboration with UNIFEM, will spearhead the action-oriented research. DWCD was
involved in the various meetings held to decide the scope and process of research. After
several consultations, the Institute of Social Sciences (ISS) was selected for the task of
carrying out this research. Mr. Sankar Sen, IPS (Retd.) (former Director of National Police
Academy and Director General of NHRC), Head, Human Rights Division of the Institute of
Social Sciences, was the coordinator of this study—the first of its kind in India. His long years
of experience in the highest positions of police service and in the National Human Rights
Commission contributed significantly to making this study one of the best research
programmes the Institute had undertaken in the past several years. His understanding of
the problem at hand and commitment to the cause were extraordinary. Mr. P. M. Nair, IPS
was the Nodal Officer of the NHRC for this project and was based at ISS. He was the
Principal Investigator-cum-Researcher of this study. Mr. Nair has brought to this study not
only his vast experience in working on various trafficking crimes having international
ramifications, which he handled while serving the Central Bureau of Investigation and Bihar
Police, but also his commitment and dedication to the cause of women’s rights and child
rights. Since law enforcement has a critical role to play in combating trafficking it is
unfortunate that in India, the number of law enforcement officials who fully comprehend
the human dimension and practice a rights approach to the problem are few and far
between. Mr. Nair is one among this minority. Despite the demands of the police service, he
had pursued academic interests. From the very beginning, Mr. Nair left no stone unturned
to make this study as qualitative as possible.
 PROCESS OF TRAFFICKING It is extremely important to know the process of the SALE AND
PURCHASE OF HUMAN BODY before learning the causes and effects pertaining to it. The
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and
Children, popularly known as the Trafficking Protocol was adopted by the United Nations in
Palermo, Italy in 2000. It is an international legal agreement attached to the United Nations
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. This protocol tries to facilitate co-
operation of the member nations to solve the issue of trafficking. The United Nations has
listed India in its Tier II List as a country who has failed to combat the problem of human
trafficking especially of women. In India women are treated as commodities and are sold in
the open market. Trafficking in persons is an increasing problem that involves both sexual
exploitation and labor exploitation of its victims. Trafficking affects all regions and the
majority of countries in the world. Both men and women may be victims of trafficking, but
the primary victims worldwide are women and girls, the majority of whom are trafficked for
the purpose of sexual exploitation. Traffickers primarily target women because they are
disproportionately affected by poverty and discrimination, factors that impede their access
to employment, educational opportunities and other resources. Sex and labor trafficking of
women is a complicated phenomenon with many forces that affect women's decisions to
work abroad. Perhaps the strongest factor is a desperate economic situation, which impacts
the availability of satisfactory employment in many countries for women more severely than
men. Women may become victims of trafficking when they seek assistance to obtain
employment, work permits, visas and other travel documents. Traffickers prey on women's
vulnerable circumstances and may lure them into crime networks through deceit and false
promises of decent working conditions and fair pay. Women may go abroad knowing that
they will work in the sex industry, but without awareness of the terrible work conditions and
violence that accompany the trafficking business. Other women answer job advertisements
for positions abroad such as dancers, waitresses, and nannies, only to find themselves held
against their will and forced into prostitution and sexual slavery. In the destination
countries, women are subjected to physical violence, sexual assault and rape, battery,
imprisonment, threats and other forms of coercion. Under international law, governments
are obligated to protect their citizens from being trafficked, through programs that aim at
prevention and the protection of victims. Explore trafficking topics to become part of the
change:

Human trafficking is a major concern in most regions of the world, and is considered to be
one of the fastest growing areas of international criminal activity. According to the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2004), human trafficking comes under the category of
transitional crime which is plaguing the nations and countries towards illicit outcomes. It is
called the "modern day's slavery". Human trafficking is an unjust and awful act against the
mankind and so it is also an issue of human rights. Besides, there are health threats and
socio-economical consequences inrelation to the notion of human trafficking.

The women are trafficked from neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal to India and in
many cases are trafficked to gulf countries, Middle East and Europe. Women trafficking are
mostly found in states like Goa, Assam, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. It is
extremely important to know the process of the SALE AND PURCHASE OF HUMAN BODY
before learning the causes and effects pertaining to it. The dalals move the victims to the
potential sites and for some time they make the victim to stay over there. The victims are
first exploited by these dalals. The dalals use drugs, abduction, kidnapping, persuasion or
deception to get the target. They know many languages, including the local ones, so they
become closer to the victim. Due to corruption, the Police, the Visa or the Passport Officials,
Taxi or Auto rickshaw Drivers etc are also befriended by thedalals. They hand over the
victims to the brothel owners, escort services or to the managers of the sex establishments.

Trafficking is defined as a trade in something that should not be traded in for various social,
economic or political reasons.Thus we have terms like drug trafficking, arms trafficking and
human trafficking. The concept of human trafficking refers to the criminal practice of
exploiting human beings by treating them like commodities for profit. Even after being
trafficked victims are subjected to long term exploitation. The crime of trafficking manifests
itself through the following

According to a recent survey women are bought and sold with impunity and trafficked at
will to other countries from different parts of India. These girls and women are sourced
from Dindigal, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, and Chengalpattu in TamilNadu, Gaya, Kishanganj,
Patna, Katihar, Purnea, Araria and Madhubani from Bihar, Murshidabad and 24 Parganas in
West Bengal, Maharajgunj from UP, Dholpur, Alwar, Tonk from Rajasthan, Mangalore, and
Gulbarga and Raichur from Karnataka. These women and girls are supplied to Thailand,
Kenya, South Africa and Middle East countries like Bahrin, Dubai, Oman, Britain, South
Korea and Philippines. They are forced to work as sex workers undergoing severe
exploitation and abuse. These women are the most vulnerable group in contracting HIV
infection. Due to unrelenting poverty and lack of unemployment opportunities there is an
increase in the voluntary entry of women into sex work. Trafficking both for commercial
sexual exploitation and for non-sex based exploitation is a transnational and complex
challenge as it is an organized criminal activity, an extreme form of human rights violation
and an issue of economic empowerment and social justice. The trafficking of women and
children causes untold miseries as it violates the rights and dignity of the individual in
several ways. It violates the individual's rights to life, dignity, security, privacy, health,
education and redressal of grievances.

CAUSES OF WOMEN TRAFFICKING The major causes of trafficking in women are as follows:
Poverty: Especially in poor countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, poverty is the root cause of
trafficking of women. The financially weak parents themselves sale their sons and daughters
to the dalals for money. Unemployment: When the male members of the family are not
working then the females have to take the entire burden of running the household. The
women undergo immense pressure to satisfy the family needs. This is taken as an advantage
by the traffickers who lure women into the flesh trade.

Child Marriage: In India child marriages still exist and even the dowry system. The girls are
trafficked in the name of marriage to Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Mumbai, Bihar and other
states. Social Stigma: In our society especially in the rural areas, the single, divorced, unwed,
widowed and sexually abused women and young girls are looked down upon. The
unwillingness of the society to accept them may lead to frustration on the part of these
women and they become easy prey of the traffickers.

Religious Practices: The decades system wherein the girl is wedded to God and later on
exploited by the temple priests, helps to the growth of women trafficking. Still this practice
is continued in India. The Scheduled Caste women are made to work as decades. Later on
they become prostitutes in the red light areas of the city. Female Infanticide and Foeticide:
The states like Punjab and Haryana have a very high rate of female infanticide and foeticide.
Hence the sex ratio is not balanced in such states. The men in these states depends heavily
on the human traffickers for the satisfaction of their physical needs. False Promises: The
women who are involved in a love affair with a man without knowing his background are
ultimately cheated and lured into prostitution racket. The promises of marriage becomes
false when the man makes a DVD or MMS of hers which shows her in a negative way.
Ultimately the women is blackmailed and trapped by the traffickers. Domestic Violence: Due
to the dowry system, the women are victims of the domestic violence. Wife battering is
glorified in India. A man is considered as masculine if he ill treats his wife and beats her
black and blue. Many women who are lucky enough to escape such torture are not accepted
by their parents also. This is because even the parents feel that the girl after marriage is
someone else’s property. Such women ultimately fall prey to the traffickers. Natural
disasters: The women are more vulnerable during natural calamities like earthquakes,
cyclones, floods as well as during man made disasters like war. It was reported in the
newspapers that in the Gujarat earthquake many women were molested, raped and sold.
Prostitution increases much more during such disasters.

The reasons for human trafficking are many, despite 60 years of independence, the benefits
of economic development have not trickled down to the marginalized sections of the society
and millions of people still live below the poverty line The poverty and hunger makes
children and women belonging to the poor sections of the society highly vulnerable to
human trafficking. Social and religious practices too have been a big cause. There is an
inexplicable apathy in the approach of law enforcement agencies when it comes to dealing
with human trafficking. Â Purposes include forced prostitution, marriage, domestic labour,
bonded labour, agricultural labour, industrial labour, entertainment, begging, adoption,
drug smuggling and peddling and organ transplants. Some of the common factors are local
conditions that make populations want to migratein search of better conditions: poverty,
oppression, lack of human rights, lack of social or economic opportunity, dangers from
conflict or instability and similar conditions. Political instability, militarism, civil unrest,
internal armed conflict and natural disasters may resultin an increase in trafficking. The
destabilization and displacement of population‟s increasetheir vulnerability to exploitation
and abuse through trafficking and forced labour. War andcivil strife may lead to massive
displacements of populations, leaving orphans and streetchildren extremely vulnerable to
trafficking. Added to these factors are the issues of porous borders, corrupt Government
officials, the involvement of international organized criminal groups or networks and limited
capacity of or commitment by immigration and law enforcement officers to control borders.
Lack of adequate legislation and of political will and commitment to enforce existing
legislation or mandates are other factors that facilitate trafficking in persons.
The men who migrate to the cities live behind their families. Hence to satisfy their physical
needs, the market of human trafficking flourishes a lot in the cities. Tourism: The male
tourists who visit our country also demands commercial sex for their enjoyment. Thus the
women become more vulnerable in tourists destinations like Goa, Mahabaleshwar etc.
Hence many people are afraid to settle down with their families in the tourists areas.

Social Practices: The social practices like expecting women to give sacrifices for the family,
develops a sense of duty and Obligation drives the women to migrate for work in order to
support their families. They become an easy victim of Traffickers.

Lack of Birth Registry: People who do not have proper registration of birth falls easily in the
net of the traffickers because their age and nationality cannot be documented. Children’s
who are trafficked are called as adults by the traffickers and they are easily passed on from
one state to another.

Corruption: The traffickers often bribe the corrupt police and immigration officials to
overlook criminal activities. The Civil Servants are also bribed to falsify information on ID
cards, birth certificates and passports making human trafficking easier.

EFFECTS OF WOMEN TRAFFICKING: The effects of trafficking may have severe impact on
the survivors. Rejection: Those who survive and come back to the normal community are
not accepted again. The community rejects them and boycotts their family. The survivor has
to return back to the brothel or commit suicide.
 Helplessness: The victims feel helpless because they are not able to change the
circumstances in which they are locked. They cannot face the situation and in the end they
give up. They withdraw and isolate themselves and remain disconnected from the society.
Even if they are rescued and rehabilitated, the feeling of helplessness continues.

Distraction: The victims try to engage themselves in various activities and try to forget their
situation. They watch movies, fight with others and also gossip about others. They may also
become addict to drugs, tobacco and alcohol. They also seek short term relationships with
strangers. Post Traumatic Stress Disaster:

The trafficking survivors may experience the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a general
anxiety that is triggered by any cue that reminds the survivor of the traumatic abuse that he
or she may have undergone. This leads to numbness of sensations.

Depressive Disorder: The feeling of sadness, inability to enjoy oneself, lack of interest in day
to day activities and negativity about the future leads to depressive disorder in the victim.

Dissociative Disorder: In this, the victim becomes unconscious. The victim suffers from
amnesia and has multiple personality disorder.

Psychotic Disorder: The victim may develop slow and steady degradation of his entire
personality. In this disorder the victim has several delusions and starts hallucinating as well
as faces various behavioural difficulties. Many rape victims suffer from this disorder. They
loose control on their senses and hence they may roam without wearing clothes and they
may pelt stones on others.
Eating Disorder: The victim may experience eating disorders. Due to frustration and
depression, they may eat more than required or they may take to eating binges or they may
not eat at all.

Addiction: The victim even after being rescued my not stop his addiction. They may die due
to severe drug addiction and alcoholism.

Legal Effects: Due to illiteracy and ignorance the victims do not understand that they are
exploited. They do not even know about the various laws of the country. They are
intellectually, physically, emotionally weak. Their utter helplessness and stigma do not allow
them to take help from the legal authorities.

RESPONSE TO WOMEN TRAFFICKING :Response from Constitution: The Constitution of the

country contain provisions related to human trafficking as follows:

•Fundamental Rights: The Article 23 of the Indian Constitution says that trafficking in any
form of human beings is prohibited under the law.

•Fundamental Duties: One of the eleven fundamental duties of the citizens is to renounce
practices derogatory to the dignity of women.
 Response from the Government: The Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, 1956: This act was
enacted with reference to the International Convention signed at New York in 1950. Initially
this act was known as the ‘Suppression of Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act’ which is
a main legal tool for preventing human trafficking. Its aim is to prevent women trafficking.
National Plan of Action, 1998: It is known as ‘The National Plan of Action to combat
trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of women and children in 1998. Its aim is to
rehabilitate the survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and bring them back to the
normal social life. It has one committee at the central level which is known as the Central
Advisory Committee and the other at the state level which is known as the State Advisory
Committee.

Ministry of Women and Child Development: It was established in 1985 to give boost to the
holistic development of the women and children. Its prominent schemes are SWADHAR and
UJJAWALA. The SWADHAR was introduced in 2001 to provide shelter, counseling, medical
assistance and vocational training to the rescued victims. The UJJAWALA Scheme was
introduced in 2007 for the prevention of sex trafficking and to check cross border trafficking.
Ministry of Women and Child Development: It was established in 1985 to give boost to the
holistic development of the women and children. Its prominent schemes are SWADHAR and
UJJAWALA. The SWADHAR was introduced in 2001 to provide shelter, counseling, medical
assistance and vocational training to the rescued victims. The UJJAWALA Scheme was
introduced in 2007 for the prevention of sex trafficking and to check cross border trafficking.
National Commission for women: In 1992, the government established the National
Commission for Women to protect and promote the interests of women. It organizes
workshops, seminars, conferences and activities related to women trafficking. It has signed
anMoU with the United Nations Development Fund for women in order to check the
problem of human trafficking in three states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. Its
objective is to eliminate human trafficking by 2015. National Human Rights Commission: It
was established under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It helps to review and
amend relevant laws to prevent trafficking. It sponsors research studies on trafficking and
takes effective action to ensure safe and voluntary return of trafficked women to their
community. It also ensures education, skills training and employment assistance to
trafficked women in order to prevent them from re-trafficking. Response from the NGO’s:
The NGO’s like Mumbai based ‘Prerna’ and the Kolkatta based ‘Sankalp’ have done a god job
in indentifying victims from the red light areas and rescuing them as well as rehabilitate
them. Prerna is famous for its work in the field of human trafficking at the national and
international level. Response from International Organizations: There is the SAARC
Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women, Convention on the
Suppression of Trafficking in Persons and the Prostitution of Others and Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. India is a signatory to all these
international instruments. Response from the Media: Media is the ultimate weapon of
generating mass awareness of the social problem of human trafficking. It may spread the
news of human trafficking in a particular area or it may create awareness about NGO’s
working for the rehabilitation of the victims. It may even provide helpline numbers for the
victims and community members who wish to get involved.

Conclusion: Women trafficking is one of the major concerns in this part of the world. In
Pakistan, economic deprivation, gender discrimination, inequality in education, and the
ignorance about legal rights are the contributing factors. As a result, these victims could
undergo various distressing health outcomes, especially related to reproductive health,
substance abuse etc. Steps to facilitate healthcare providers in assisting the victims need to
be taken. Hence, numerous interventions would be required at three levels: the prevention
of trafficking, the protection of victims, and the prosecution of the traffickers. From holistic
perspective of care, a health professional can play a pivotal role by providing preventive
awareness. Besides, educational programmes need to be in place in order to protect women
from severe health consequences.

Human trafficking and related offenses have been a grave issue for ages now. Women
suffer as a target due to varied reasons and suffer the consequences for generations
together. To a large extend one can say the society is to be blamed for most of this
somewhere the patriarchal society in India judges women only in extremes „pious‟ or
„pervert‟. But they fail to realize that it is the community itself that is the creator of each of
these evils. Whether it is prostitution, forced labour or any other forms in which women and
girls kidnapped or abducted are employed the social circle is responsible for being passive
favorers or each of these practices. The first change has to begin from within the people
following which rules and norms should be imposed in a much stronger way only then we
can have a nation without a woman suffering the wrath of human trafficking and its
consequent issues.