 |
|
|
| Trafficking of Women and Children |
| |
| |
| The scale and extent of traffic in women and children remains little-explored in the South Asian
and Indian contexts. It is however undoubtedly a grave and widespread problem which
condemns many to lives of servitude if not slavery.
Women and girl children in particular are vulnerable to trafficking within and into India due to the
adverse sex ratio which is creating a deficit of women in certain regions. Regions such as Punjab
and Haryana are the destinations for many women and girls, trafficked from poorer states such
as Assam, Jharkand and West Bengal[1]
The practice of trafficking seals the fate of many of India's poorest women; whether they are
enticed by the prospect of employment or sold by their own families, they are sentenced to a life
of bonded labour, forced marriage or forced prostitution. This predicament deprives them further
of education, of their right to bodily integrity, of their rights in general.
|
| |
| |
| CSR's Role |
| |
Advocacy
The extent to which transnational trafficking takes place in South Asia, especially across porous
borders such as that between India and Nepal is of particular concern to CSR. Thus, CSR is
active in several organizations and commissions which aim to battle the trafficking of women and
children.
CSR is a member of the Central Advisory Committee to Prevent Trafficking in Women and
Children set up by the Government of India to monitor the progress made by various efforts of
the States.
CSR is a founder member of the Committee Against Trafficking (CAT), a South Asian regional
advisory committee set up by civil society groups to lobby the SAARC secretariat and the
relevant national governments.
CSR is the convener of the South Asia Network Against Trafficking (SANAT). The main aim of
SANAT is to promote the development of regional communications networks, which will facilitate
the monitoring, and control of activities relating to trafficking in persons. We are engaging
ourselves to encourage co-coordinated social movements against the trafficking of women and
to lobby with SAARC governments to develop appropriate legislation for implementation of
SAARC Convention of trafficking, which pays particular attention to the rehabilitation of trafficked
victims.
Missing Children
CSR is playing a lead role in setting up a network to protect missing children (which includes the
child victims of trafficking). CSR along with Women Power Connect has also made major
recommendations before a Parliamentary Committee on proposed law on ITPA.
Via the Gender Training Institute, a “Manual for Training Police on Anti-Human Trafficking” was
released. The manual, which was released in 2008, is a joint initiative by United Nations Office
of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the GTI to strengthen the police response by creating
awareness and building sensitivity on the issue of anti-human trafficking. The manual will be
used to train police in the handling of victims of trafficking. In 2005, CSR also brought out a
Police Training of Trainers Manual named 'Restructuring Change'.
|
| |
| |
| ‘Female Foeticide, Coerced Marriage & Bonded Labour in Haryana and Punjab; A situational Report ‘ Shakti Vahini 2003 |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
