Trafficking of women & children gravest form of abuse:UN expert

Jammu, October 18 (Scoop News) –Dr. Sarada Sreedevi Amma, a former U.N. Resource Person for the Sub-Regional Consultation on Trafficking in Women and Children in South Asia and a retired Professor, School of Management Studies, said trafficking in women and children is the gravest form of abuse and exploitation of human beings.

Dr. Sarada Sreedevi was delivering her lecture on the topic of “Trafficking of women and children in South Asia” in Jammu University. The seminar was organized by the department of Lifelong Learning, University of Jammu.

Prof Poonam Dhawan, Department of Lifelong Learning, University of Jammu, Dr Arti Bakshi, Head of Department of Psychology, Jammu Univeristy, Dr Manju Gupta, Chief Medical Officer, University of Jammu,  Dr Chand Trehan, Dr Bharti Prabhakar, Dr Pallavi Sachdeva, Dr Priyanka Katoch, Mr Vivek Sharma,Ms.Sita Anand, Ms Rewa Khajuria and others were present at the occasion.

Dr. Sarada said that thousands of girls and children are being trafficked everyday to some destination or the other and are forced to lead lives of slavery. They survive in brothels, factories, guesthouses, dance bars, farms and even in the homes of well-off people, with no control over their bodies and lives.

Calling trafficking a ‘flourishing global industry’ which plays itself out through the economic exploitation of shysters who kidnap desperate women and girls entrenched in poverty, Prof Amma said traffickers often use local people in a community or village to find young women and children, and target families who are poor and vulnerable. In some situations, family members sell children to middlemen or traffickers. The parents are deceived into believing their children will get a good job or an education, and out of respect for their parents they will do as they are told. However, most of the time they end up in a brothel or other business where they are forced to have sex with clientele.

‘Though there is no concrete definition of trafficking, it could be said that trafficking necessarily involves movement /transportation, of a person by means of coercion or deceit, against his/her own will and consent and consequent exploitation leading to commercialization,’ said Dr Amma adding the abusers, including the traffickers, the recruiters, the transporters, the sellers, the buyers, the end-users etc., exploit the vulnerability of the trafficked person.

She added that in order to ensure effective implementation of the existing law there is a need for sensitization of all concerned in the criminal justice system, including judicial officers, prosecutors, medical experts, Police officers. Moreover there should be partnership with the NGOs so as to ensure law enforcement, rescue, prevention, counseling, rehabilitation, reintegration, social empowerment etc.

Earlier Prof Poonam Dhawan, Department of Lifelong Learning, University of Jammu said trafficking shows phenomenal increase with globalization. Increasing profit with little or no risk, organized activities, low priority in law enforcement etc., aggravate the situation. The income generated by trafficking is comparable to the money generated through trafficking in arms and drugs.

She said the trafficking is done by various methods including by making false employment promises, false marriages and kidnapping. But what makes women and girls vulnerable are economic distress, desertion by their spouses, sexually exploitative social customs and family traditions.

Dr Kavita Suri, Assistant Director, Department of Lifelong Learning, University of Jammu who was also the organizing secretary of the special extension lecture, while welcoming the guests said that it is estimated that more than two million people worldwide are being trafficked each year, the majority of whom are women and children. Within the Southeast Asian region alone, over 225,000 are transported across borders, according to United States State Department statistics.

She said although there are no hard accurate numbers, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates that in the past thirty years trafficking of women and children in Asia for sexual exploitation has victimized over 30 million people. These victims usually come from poor families, lured into promises of a better life for themselves and their families. They might be offered a job or an education, while others are kidnapped and sold by friends and family members for profit. It is a ruthless business where money overpowers basic human rights.

Dr Sandeep Singh, project officer, Department of Lifelong Learning, University of Jammu presented vote of thanks.