Pushed by hunger and poverty, lured by promise of a good job or false marriage offers, many women and children leave their homes to find themselves in an invisible world of brutality and exploitation. They are trafficked for carnal pleasures.

Poverty, landlessness, unemployment, inequality and discrimination together complete the true picture of the south Asian region. Most of the burden of these social ills falls disproportionately on women, forcing them to migrate for survival. Pushed by hunger and poverty, lured by promise of a good job or tricked through false marriage offers, many of these women and children leave their homes to find themselves in an invisible world of brutality and exploitation.


For those trafficked for purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, the living condition in a brothel is appalling with abysmal hygiene and sanitation facilities. Provisions of health care in the brothels are sporadic at best and in most cases nonexistent. Trafficking is an experience of extreme trauma. The experience of abuse – physical and sexual harassment traumatise the individual and has a long-term impact on the psychological well being of the victim.

Global trafficking of women and children today is more profitable than arms or drugs smuggling. Disintegration of the rural communities and the grim reality of the poor and the marginal people, mainly women and children make them soft targets.


Trafficking is well organised and its network is widespread in Asia. They are difficult to identify, as they are experts at avoiding detection and escaping arrest. Many of those trafficked are illegal migrants, they remain silent (and undiscovered) from the fear of reprisal from traffickers and deportation.
Trafficked people are usually the most vulnerable and powerless minorities in a region. They often come from the poorer areas where opportunities are limited, they mainly are ethnic minorities and they are often displaced persons, such as runways or refugees, though they may come from any social background, class or caste.


According to the US state department, south Asia accounted for second highest number of victims of trafficking. India was among 32 countries on US watch list 2006 of countries involved in human trafficking.


Measures to combat trafficking


The enforcement of laws prohibiting trafficking is dismal. A serious action plan to combat the problem of trafficking is the need of the hour. Prevention involving the address of issues such as poverty, increased vigilance by security forces especially at the borders, mobilising business community, especially tourism industry against the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children and promoting gender equality are some of the measures.


Many agents are involved in the trafficking business from the initial recruitment and procurement of women and children to their widespread movement within and across the borders. These agents include parents, relatives, families, school teachers, villagers and village headmen, brothel owners, pimps and corrupt enforcement official.


The main purpose of trafficking is to feed the entertainment industry, domestic work, carpet industry, organ transplant, drug trafficking, begging and forced labour.


The strategies to combat trafficking must include:


Awareness raising and advocacy
Legalisation and enforcement to protect women and children from trafficked
Media sensitisation workshops
Seeking state level cooperation.


At the grassroots where the problem is most acute, non-govermental organisations and other civil society groups play a key role. They are the eyes and ears of the global community and are in the frontline of the anti-trafficking movements. Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)-2004, UN GIFT (Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking), etc are some of the organisations that help in awareness on this increasing issue. These organisations work on preventing and combating trafficking issues, collect data on the number of children and women who becomes victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking and create global awareness program.


To combat trafficking, the law against trafficking should be strengthened. A serious plan is the need of the hour. All political parties and the government must come forward for their support.