TRAFFICKING
AS A PROBLEM
According
to the Police Department, trafficking in West Bengal is ‘under control’.
Lesser crimes related to trafficking have been reported in the year 2002-03 as
compared to 2001-02. The DIG, Criminal Investigation Department, said that the
police have become extra vigilant in the red light areas and transit routes,
which accounts for this decrease.
There
is however, an increase in cross-border trafficking, which the DIG referred to
as ‘infiltration’ or illegal migration.
The
Officer-in-charge of the Detective Department (Immoral Trafficking Section),
Kolkata, said that trafficking is on the rise in this city. Due to widespread
poverty (coupled with refugee problems and problems of infiltration), the sex
industry is growing larger every day.
The
various reasons cited by the police officials for trafficking for the purpose of
CSE is:
- Poverty
and therefore the inherent inability to educate women and children.
- Lack
of employment opportunities in the semi-skilled and unskilled labour
sectors.
- Overall
lack of employment opportunities in the State.
- Communal
violence and social unrest compounds the problem of stealing and luring
girls, who are consequently trafficked.
- Inter-caste
love marriages and illicit affairs add to the problem when men take
advantage of unsuspecting girls and sell
them to pimps and brothel owners.
Source
Areas of Trafficking in the State: Rural
areas of Midnapur (West), Dinajpur (North and South), 24-Paraganas (North and South), Malda, Hoogly, Nadia and the border areas of Murshidabad.
Transit
Areas:Jalpaiguri, Murshidabad,
Burdwan, Kharagpur, Howrah – where the rail and road routes offer a plethora of transport options.
Destination
Areas: The
red light areas of Kolkata, Howrah and Siliguri. Some victims are also
trafficked to Delhi and Mumbai.
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