WUNRN
India - The Tribune http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130710/main7.htm
(Haryana State of India surrounds the country's
capital Delhi on three sides, forming the
northern, western and southern borders of Delhi.)
UN Report Unmasks Trafficking Issues
in Haryana State of India
Blames skewed sex
ratio for rampant trafficking of women into state for forced marriages
Pradeep
Sharma/TNS
Chandigarh,
July 9, 2013 - A report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes
(UNODC) has blamed Haryana’s skewed sex ratio for large-scale trafficking of
girls from other states for forced marriages and ‘bonded’ labour into the
state.
The
assessment report, “Current Status of Victim Service Providers and Criminal
Justice Actors in India on Anti-Human Trafficking-2013”, states: “There’s a
large-scale trafficking of girls from the North-East. These girls are being
brought to Haryana for forced marriage and bonded labour.
Direct
Link to Full 2013, 219-Page UNODC - UN Office of Drugs & Crime Report:
Karnal,
Mewat, Rewari, Kurukshetra, Jind, Yamuna Nagar and Hisar are some destinations
where these girls are taken to.”
The
shortage of brides in villages and towns of Haryana and Punjab is often met by
these “on sale” poverty stricken women, says the report.
In many
cases, traffickers lure the girls on the pretext of marriage and later sell
them in Delhi, it adds.
While most
women forced into marriage were from Assam and West Bengal, girls, often
minors, from Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh were
being trafficked for domestic work.
On the
dubious role of the placement agencies providing domestic help, the reports
says that mainly Delhi-based agencies supply children for domestic help in
Haryana. Once these children land up in their employer’s house, they are
virtually kept as bonded labour. There have been many instances where these
children were sexually exploited.
The report
asserts that in the last five years (2007-12), many sex rackets have been
busted by the police. Quoting figures, it says as per the National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB), 2,625 children have been missing in Haryana since 2006.
Of these, 1,016 are girls. A total of 4,731 persons went missing in which there
were 2,075 women.
The Paro Phenomenon
In Mewat area, girls, who are brought from the North-East and other states and are forced to get married against their will, are called “Paro”. They are bartered at price that varies according to their age, beauty and virginity.
Not
Fair to the Fairer Sex
The land
of khaps and honour killings has the dubious distinction of having the worst
sex ratio in the country with just 879 females per 1,000 males as against the
national figure of 943.What is alarming is the fact that the state has the
worst male-female ratio (1000:834) in the age group of 0-6 years.
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UNODC
- UN Office on Drugs & Crime
India:
Country Assessment Highlights Status of Victim Assistance & Criminal
Justice Initiatives on Anti-Human Trafficking
The
UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons promotes the
protection and support of victims of trafficking. Even though many countries
have taken positive steps to create a favorable environment and put in place
mechanisms to adequately assist and protect victims of trafficking, much more
needs to be done. Apart from prosecuting traffickers, it is equally
important to recognize the need for protecting trafficked survivors. Protecting
the identity and rights of survivors does not only help convict traffickers but
also guards against re-trafficking. To ensure a victim-centred and human rights
approach to the crime of trafficking in persons, there is a need to improve
mechanisms for the identification of victims and establishment of adequate
referral procedures for institutions providing support, assistance and
reintegration.
To
this end, UNODC commissioned a country assessment on the "status of victim
service providers and criminal justice actors in India". This report is a
result of ten months of intensive consultations with nodal officers working on
anti human trafficking, key ministries and NGOs; interactions with select Anti
Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and government and NGO-run shelter homes. This
assessment also captures a brief situational analysis (based primarily on
anecdotal and media reports) of 13 forms of human trafficking and highlights
broad trends. The report elaborates responses and initiatives taken by 21 State
Governments in India to counter trafficking; it lays down constitutional and
legal provisions including the latest Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013, landmark
judgements, and government sponsored protection schemes. Advisories issued by
the Government and data from the National Crimes Record Bureau of India on
missing persons are also presented. In addition, the report also identifies key
areas that require attention and concerted action to strengthen services for
trafficking survivors.
UNODC
hopes that this assessment will be of practical use for officials, service
providers and stakeholders to further design and develop a comprehensive
response for victim assistance and protection services in the area of human
trafficking in the country.
The
assessment was conducted under the UNODC project titled, 'Promoting the
implementation of the Trafficking Protocol and the Smuggling Protocol, both
supplementing the UNTOC' with the financial support of the European Union.
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