West
Bengal is located in the eastern part of India and serves as a link between the
North-Eastern States and the rest of India. The State has 18 districts and
Kolkata serves as the State capital. There are over 23 towns with a population
of over 100,000. The largest cities are Kolkata, Howrah, Asansol, Durgapur and
Siliguri. Other important towns include Darjeeling, Kharagpur and Haldia.
Kolkata is amongst the largest metropolitan regions in the world.
The
State has international boundaries with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. The Indian
states sharing boundaries with West Bengal are Orissa, Bihar, Sikkim and Assam.
Due
to its crucial location in India, the vulnerable locations and groups in West
Bengal are not just prone to intra and inter-state trafficking, but also to
international trafficking. The State contains some notorious red light areas
such as Sonagachi (Kolkata) and women and children trafficked from other parts
of the country and from foreign countries (Bangladesh and Nepal) are brought to
this place. Infiltration also adds to the continually increasing problem of
trafficking.
The
Government and the Police Departments are aware of this problem and take
sufficient measures to combat it. Awareness camps are held and the rescued
victims are put in the Shelter Homes. Some Shelter Homes are exclusively meant
for those affected by trafficking and CSE.
West
Bengal contains important transit points through which trafficked people pass.
The international borders and the excellent network of railways, roadways,
airways and waterways offer easy transit points. Women and children are
trafficked to Arabian countries as well.
Some
NGOs are working for the rescue and rehabilitation of the trafficked victims.
These NGOs network with other NGOs both within and outside the country. They
have shelter homes and observation homes for the victims. Proper care is taken
to ensure their repatriation to their families or country of origin.
The
map of West Bengal shows the source and destination areas for those who are
trafficked within the State. The red arrows show the destinations outside the
State.
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