Trafficking of children in the Indian subcontinent

Trafficking of children in the Indian subcontinent

brotee mukhopadhyay

Trafficking of children in the Indian subcontinent is nothing new. Children from Nepal, Bangladesh, Srilanka, India and Pakistan have been trafficked for a long time by agents of different interested people. One may not know the exact number of children trafficked in a year. There are discernible objective conditions in this subcontinent because of which trafficking of children is still possible. India is country where more than 12 million children have been sweating in hazardous occupations...Obviously most of the children are from the poor families. This article is to describe the reasons behind such a grave violation of children’s right.

Countries of this subcontinent are still in the stage of development. It is better to state that this is a vast region noticeably populated by the poorer people. A new member in a poor family is regarded as an asset. It is expected that his/her both hands will work one day and earn for themselves and for the whole family. The extreme poverty does not allow the hapless parents to take care of their children. It is a fact that they cannot satisfy their minimum need. In a family of five or more the seniors cannot supply bread and cotton.

The children, therefore, are to explore means so that they may meet up the necessities of life. It is a cruel joke and painful one. They begin to learn the art of survival at the dawn of life only. 15 million children, only in India, are engaged in hazardous occupations. India has been the center for the largest number of child laborers in the globe. Children of the poorer families of Nepal join the circuses as child artists instead of joining a school. The utter poverty has thus allowed child trafficking easier in this part of the world.

In Indian society there is visible discrimination on the ground of wealth, religion, caste, creed, language and sex. The mainstream section of the society has always been favored whereas the weaker part is has remained deprived of the opportunities. Even one may find that a male child is favored in practice against a female child. In the political arena reservation of the weaker communities has been highly trumpeted. But it is clear to everyone that the aim is always to secure the votes in the elections. Hence planning with short sighted vision may be experienced anywhere in the subcontinent. This is a huge fissure through which children trafficking have got favorable condition

Plight of these children is horrible. Girls who have been trafficked to the brothels have left their parents at minor age. Sexual exploitation in the sweat-shops mostly under cover is a dread reality. On the other hand, kids have been targeted for sexual abuse more than ever in all the countries of this region. In most of the cases the parents have no perception on education. They do not even know and at times do not bother to know identity of the agents who take away their children for jobs. Children are taken away in the name of domestic services. Sometimes this is true. Parents are paid a little money in return for some months. When the agents do no more appear and parents cannot trace their children the fate of the siblings become clear. There are instances of sale of children and generally people are in the dark as the total operation happens in the hide.

Protection for the children has been an immediate must in modern India and in the countries neighboring India. Persons at the political thrones have little time to spare for these children. Children day is celebrated to show the smiling faces of the haves of the society. Yes, there are responsible non-governmental organizations to render services for these hapless living beings. But people’s serious participation to save the children is the need of the hour and people from Bangladesh to Pakistan and from Nepal to Srilanka are not prepared to respond even now.