Human traffickingis the recruitment, transportation, harboring, or receipt of people for the purpose of exploitation. It is estimated to be a $5 to $9 billion-a-year industry.Trafficking of children refers to the practice of the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of children for the purpose of exploitation.
Exploitation includes forcing children into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude, or the removal of organs. For children exploitation may include also, illicit international adoption, trafficking for early marriage, recruitment as child soldiers, for begging or as athletes (such as child camel jockeys or football players), or for recruitment for cults.
Trafficked people often suffer from a multitude of physical and psychological health problems.Women are specifically vulnerable to reproductive and other gender-specific health problems in trafficking situations as they have little or no access to reproductive health care. These problems include lack of access to birth control, constant rapes, forced abortions and contraceptive use, lack of regular mammograms and other health issues.
Women in domestic servitude are subject to rape and other physical abuse, while women in forced sex work suffer increased risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. Every year thousands are trafficked across India for a variety of reasons including sexual exploitation, bonded labor, organ transplantation, adoption, coerced marriage etc.
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Women and children are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking and in Manipur child trafficking appears to be a growing epidemic. According to international legislation, in the case of children the use of illicit means-such as 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-is not relevant in determining whether an act is a crime, because a child cannot legally give informed consent.
Awareness programs and various workshops to give awareness to the traffickers, public and the government is required, along with setting up of training for the local border patrols since trafficking of children and women are done along the highways. It is a form of social awakening as defined by the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. It is also one of the worst form of child labour as defined by the ILO convention 182.
Human trafficking is a crime under international law and under the national legislation. And thus with the combined efforts of the various governments ruling various states and various other NGO’s, Human rights activists plan to stop human trafficking from being committed through the country. Together we can all combat this evil the question is how many of us can stand up against it. So rise, for a better India- a better and safer world for our women and children.