The New Nation - Internet Edition

Mamunur Rashid

At least 1,50,000 people are trafficked annually within South Asia, according to UNODC (United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime).

As the second biggest crime after arms and drugs, human trafficking is a serious threat to humanity and also a kind of intellectual terrorism.

The ever-increasing number of female and child trafficking is very alarming especially in South Asia. According to UNODC India is an origin transit and destination country for trafficking in person. There are no numbers to measure the extent and magnitude of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation in India. According to an estimate trafficking from migration with approximately 2.17 per cent from Bangladesh.

Trafficking of women has grown at a faster pace due to modern transportation and communication. Today, it is easier to bring in girls than drugs, source said.

Most of the trafficked women are forced into prostitution and the demand for prostituted sex is growing under kingpins of organised human trade, who are also well protected by big shots including law enforcers. There are cases where law enforcers in connivances with these kingpins run the inhuman business. Thus, it creates a big hurdle for the victim to come to normal situation.

According to the United Nation Protocol on Human Trafficking, trafficking is deemed a crime "when a person/migrant labour is moved against his/her will from one place to another to be pushed into a situation of exploitation."

The law regarding this crime is not holistic. There is no institutional mechanism to deal with the increasing incidence of the trade in this country. The government should take serious action to prevent human trafficking; awareness should be rising regarding their rights and the illegibility of trafficking. Identify and address the underlying causes and the root factors leading to sexual exploitations and trafficking and implement preventive strategies against exploitation and trafficking.