TRAFFICKING

What is "trafficking in persons"?

"Trafficking in persons" shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring 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 services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs;

"Trafficking" in person broadly, means:

[1] The recruitment, transportation, purchase, sale, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by threat or use of violence, abduction, force, fraud, deception or coercion (including the abuse of authority), or debt bondage for the purpose of:

[2] Placing or holding such person, whether for pay or not, in forced labour or slavery like practices, in a community other than one in which such persons lived at the time of the original act described in (1). 

Trafficking of children and women for various purposes, including sexual exploitation, is undoubtedly one of the most reprehensible and heinous crimes perpetrated against humanity. Because of a variety of reasons, including non-reporting and secrecy, there is no clear estimate about the magnitude of the problem yet. By all account in recent years the problem has only worsened. Trafficking has emerged as a low risk, high return, well organized criminal activity. Hence, combating this menace is going to be a tough job for everyone concerned.

What is very disturbing is that the available evidence indicates that one third of people exploited in flesh trade are children/minors. Besides, over 60% of victims belong to the Backward Classes including scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Most of them hail from poverty struck areas and are illiterates.

The issues of trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children have taken the centrestage in the present time because of the following reasons:

• Increasing inter-state and inter-national trafficking of women and children.
• Increasing reports of commercial sexual exploitation of children. 
• Greater awareness and emphasis on rights of children.
• The global movement for redefining gender relation and the issues of subordination of female gender in Indian society.
• Trafficking and sexual exploitation of women /children is directly related to the overall status of women in the society.
• Growing feminization of poverty. 
• Growth of sex tourism, the entertainment industry, pornography in   print, electronic and cyber media. 
• Changing public attitudes towards sex and morality. 
• The economic and law and order ramifications of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, which are part of the huge global Narco-terrorist criminal, network. 
• Women victims of commercial sexual exploitation organizing themselves to access their rights, and
• Weakening of the family structure, changing social and family scenario.

Trafficking and sex work has increased – extreme poverty, low status of women and complacency of law enforcing agencies has led to an increase in sex work.  Expansion of trafficking and clandestine movement of young girls has also increased across national and international borders. 

Premarital sexual relations are increasing – most sexually active adolescents are in their late adolescence.  Increase in age at marriage, increased mobility and negative peer pressure makes the young people vulnerable to indulging in unsafe sexual behaviour