The Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA) of India, the fundamental rights mentioned in the big political bible of Indian Constitution, all legally prohibit what is known as ‘human trafficking’. But do you think there has been a full stop to those kinds of crimes with the measures mentioned above? I don’t think so.
People are frequently illegally trafficked through India for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and forced or bonded labour. Women and girls are trafficked within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage especially in those areas where the sex ratio is highly skewed in favour of men.
A significant portion of children are subjected to forced labour as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars and agriculture workers, and have been used as armed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups. It has been 67 years since our country became independent and democratic, and it is so shameful to say a large number of the population is being exploited for wrong purposes.
When children dream of school, they’re kidnapped and locked up in the confines of a factory or a terrorist camp. When women dream of an educated life and living with dignity, they are kidnapped and sold for wrong purposes.
But it isn’t enough that the better, luckier of the country think and raise this issue in front of the so-called elected parliament. The government should also think and act, especially when trafficking comes hand in hand with corruption. We need to pressure the leaders.
— Reader is an Indian pupil based in Dubai.
