Prevalence of child trafficking in Maharashtra high, says NGO
MUMBAI, Jan 4: City-based NGO Women’s Institute for Social Education
(WISE) is organising a sensitisation conference here on January 12 on
the prevention of sex tourism and trafficking, which is also the
second biggest trade in the world.
WISE is organising the conference in collaboration with the United
Nations Development Fund for women as well as the National Human
Rights Commission.
Addressing a news conference here yesterday, WISE general secretary
Vipula Kadri said prevalence of child trafficking was extremely high
in Maharashtra, especially Mumbai, where the annual figure of child
abuse is as high as approxiamtely 70,000.
Even though there are no estimates of the number of children who are
subjected to child trafficking, debt bondage, forced labour,
pornography, prostitution and drugs, child-related crimes are on the
rise, especially commercial sexual exploitation of the child.
One amongst the many alarming concerns is sex tourism and
prostitution. This emerged from the South Asian Conference organised
by the Save Our Sisters (SOS) Movement to combat trafficking and
commercial sexual exploitation of children in Goa in 2001.
As a follow up to the Goa conference, which highlighted these
problems, it was felt that there was an urgent need to sensitise the
travel and tourism industry, considering the trade thrives in most
hotels, she said.
The aim of the conference was to unite the travel and tourism industry
and collectively support the NGOs in combating trafficking in
children, she said. WISE member Ms Vimla Patil said sexual
exploitation preys on women and children made vulnerable by poverty
and economic development policies and practices, refugee and displaced
persons, women in migrating process and those women who have been
victims of childhood sex abuse.
Trafficking of women and children is a complex and multifaceted
phenomenon interwoven with sex tourism, forced marriages, bonded
labour and other similar practices, she said.
It is the vilest form of international organised crime that generates
high profits and low risk for traffickers. The United Nations
estimates that about four million people are trafficked each year
resulting in seven billion dollars in profits to criminal groups, Ms
Kadri said.
According to Ms Kadri prevalence of trafficking in Maharashtra, apart
from Mumbai, was high in Nanded, Latur, Sangli, Beed. The focus for
creating awareness would be on airline, hotels, tourist offices at the
conference. (UNI)