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Female feticide and Bride trafficking

    • Female feticide : A glance on sex ratio
Haryana is well known for Female Foeticide. It is clear from the census of 1991 and 2001.
Table 1 , Over all Sex ratio1 (Female per 1,000 males) from 1901 to 2001 

State/ country19011911192119311941195119611971198119912001
India972964955950945946941930934927933
Haryana867844835844869871861867870865861
West Bengal945925905890852865878891911917934

In the year 1951 and 1981 sex ratio slightly improved in Haryana. In the same period number of girls increased to 865 and 911 respectively, in the source area.These figures show a slight difference in sex ratio between West Bengal (source area) and Haryana but not much difference occurred as it is believed. The tradition of importing girls in the region is known for the last fifty years. And as can be gathered from the above table, no much difference of sex ratio between source and destination area is observed. It is interesting to note that in 1951, West Bengal has 865 females per thousand males, whereas Haryana has much higher 871 females per 1000 males. Hence, the hypothesis that the ‘outnumbered’ girls from West Bengal compensate the declining sex ratio in destination region cannot stand before the reality. On the other hand if we compare child sex-ratio (see table below) with sex ratio it clearly shows that female infanticide is heavily practiced in West Bengal. In no way West Bengal is less patriarchal society than Haryana.   
Table 2 : child sex-ratio2 (female per 1000 males) of population Aged 0 to 6 year (1961 to 2001)

State/ country1961Rank in Country1971Rank in Country1981Rank in Country1991Rank in Country2001Rank in Country
India976--964--962--945--927--
Haryana*Not AvailableNot Available89913902148791282012
West Bengal1008310102981396729632
    * Haryana’s Data is available from 1971    
      Numbers of people in Haryana are employed with police, army and transport mostly as truck drivers who during their visits and travel to other region started marrying outside their own society. These marriages provided links for bride trade. In the beginning they started this marriage business to acquire (bonded) labourer for their booming agriculture and animal husbandry. While the poor parents married their daughters to the ‘dilliwalahs’—as they are known in Purvottar—because they did not ask for dowry. However this kind of marriage is not considered socially respectable in the source area and more often regarded as ‘thag vivah’. These marriages provided further contacts to get girls and make them adapt according to men’s want. Interesting part of the marriage is that most of the molki girls are second, third and fourth ‘women’ and the age of man are almost double that of the girl’s.
              The status of molki women is quite bad in Jat Land. The cases of “Paro” have come to light from Mewat region. Two cases were reported recently from the jat land where the girls were murdered and the case got registered with the police. Media remained ignorant of the incident and reported nothing on this issue from this region. Police officers in similar way are ignorant and it is natural that the voices are suppressed in this state of affairs. It is suggested that these molki women are not satisfied and happy with their status and situation, and they have to bear all this only for the sake of their livings and due to lack of any support system. They are well aware that they are being used as a toy on use and throw basis. Therefore if they get a chance to escape they had no way other than running away from their ‘homes’ with their belongings or they would be sold to other person. This lead to maximum number of molki women to adapt to the situation they are going through since they are helpless and cannot do anything. Some of the incidents have come to light where molki woman revolted and ran away to ‘unknown’ places. It has also been seen that some of the women took to sex trade to escape from their life as molki since they were unable to return back to their ancestral home. While others became member of cheating gangs, who arranged marriages with these girls who later on fled with groom’s belongings.   
This issue has regularly been reported by so-called main stream and local media. Molki’ is an exact and true example of Catherine McKinnon’s (an American feminist, scholar) definition of the relation between the two major sexes, “man fucks woman: subject verb object”. Visit any region of Haryana and you will find Catherine’s definition to be true. In spite of the widespread and increasing practice of bringing molki, there is absolutely no attention paid towards this by government or the NGOs.  
      From agro-field and animal husbandry to so called ‘women’s work’ she is expected to do it all as ‘her duty’, and one can imagine if women who are brought as legal wives with huge dowry have to do all these then what happens to those who are bought and brought from far away?  This may not be directly a case of women trafficking under definition of ITPA but circuitously it is! It is a very serious violation of women’s most basic human rights. Our network Empower People is doing a research on this issue. Before a wide research, it will not be appropriate to say anything conclusively. But early findings suggest seriousness of the situation. In Jaatland of Haryana, molki owning villages become the source of spreading the practice of molki horizontally as well as vertically.  In the village of Kharakramji molkis were mainly from Maharashtra and in the village Shillakhedi mainly from West Bengal. We found that if a molki brought from one village in West Bengal other molkis would be brought from the same village because the first molki becomes a ‘contact’ who facilitate other men to get girls from her home region. And the ‘husbands’ of these molkis work as agents. For example, Hari Om (name changed) from Kharakramji, who did not want to be named, admitted proudly that he owns a molki. He also admitted that he was continuously in contact with the other dalals of the city. He warned us of dire consequences if we write anything about molki. He told us with pride that he will be bringing more molkis into the village for other unmarried and unemployed men who come to him to arrange one for them. A panchayat member of village Safidon admitted the bare fact, “bhai swaad len ke maare molki lyavain hain, saaryan ka kaam chalya reh ar ghar main lugai dikhe ja”( brother, they bring molki for enjoyment,  all  (the male members) take advantage of her and for the neighbours they have a girl to show off.) 
It is found that the ‘husbands’ of molki and her so-called in-laws become the agents and they keep in contact with the bigger agents based on Hissar, Sonipat and Jind, the epicentre of the trafficking. The agents dwell in the village itself. Sometimes they are truck drivers or the people who regularly go out. A molki is sold more than once in many of the cases by their ‘husbands’/agents and the price varies from Rs.7, 000/- to Rs.40, 000/ according to their beauty and sexual experience.  The molki owners also lead other relatives and neighbours to a place where they can find a molki. The person, for whom molki is being bought, affords all the expenses occurred in the way.
Our work in the field revealed a number of reasons why women are imported into Jaatland. It includes, practice of karewa, for cheap labour, small landholdings due to division of property, scarcity of girls, over age and heavy dowry. It is interesting to note that on the one hand men are purchasing girls and on the Second hand, graph of dowry is touching sky.


Bride trafficking is one of traditional Slavery system which has a deepliner history of the region so rescue and some other immediate relief or any harsh law can’t change the phenomenon. It can be abolish by cultural renaissance and sensitization of people. And we are working for the same.  


Nowadays female feticide is a major pushing factor for this form of trafficking. Approximately there are ten million trafficked women in haryana and punjab.  and it will regularly growing 

High Court orders release of 15 rescued sex workers

They were unwilling to go to home state Andhra Pradesh
The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the release of 15 Andhra Pradesh women rescued from a red light area here who were opposing their transfer to their home state from a reform home in Delhi. 
Setting aside the trial court's order granting their transit remand to Andhra Pradeh police, a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and S P Garg directed the release these sex workers.
The bench passed the order after the National and Delhi Commissions for Women, which was asked by the court to assist it in rehabilitation of these women, informed the court that there was no such scheme and it would take some time to formulate the policy.
Disposing of a petition filed by these women, the court said these women could not be kept at the home till the formulation of any scheme for their rehabilitation and ordered their release forthwith.
The women in their plea sought the court's intervention as they were forcibly removed from here despite their unwillingness to go back to their home state.
The bench accepted their plea that they are not minors and they have been settled in the national capital for last more than five years and their children are also studying here. 
These women were recently rescued during a joint operation of Andhra Pradesh and Delhi Police on the direction of a court at Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad court had issued a search warrant and directed the police to present these girls on the submission of a minor girl who had escaped from the red light area here.
The minor girl had said that others from Hyderabad were also kept in confinement in the red light area. About 72 sex workers including some minor girls were rescued and except these 15, others were allowed to go home. 

Andhra girls rescued from Delhi brothels don't want to come back home

New Delhi:  The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the National Commission for Women and the Delhi Commission of Women to respond to pleas of some of the girls, rescued from a red light area, that they were not willing to go back to Andhra Pradesh.

A bench comprising of Justice S Ravinder Bhatt and Justice SP Garg directed the two associations to file their replies after talking to the girls and listed the matter for further hearing on Friday.

The 15 girls, currently lodged at a reform home, Nirmal Chhaya, after being rescued from the GB Road area, are seeking release saying they are "forcibly confined" and do not want to go back to their respective homes.

These girls were recently rescued during a joint operation of Andhra Pradesh Police and Delhi Police on the direction of a Hyderabad court.

The Hyderabad court had issued a search warrant and directed the police to present these girls on the submission of a minor girl who had escaped from the red light area in Delhi.

The minor girl had said that others from Hyderabad were also being forcibly held at the red light area.
The joint operation had rescued around 72 girls and all others had been allowed to go home. The two minors were handed over to their relatives. NDTV

Rescuing of girls from GB Road: HC asks NCW, DCW to respond

New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today asked the National Commission for Women and the state unit to respond to pleas of some of the girls, rescued from a red light area here, that they were not willing to go to their native place. A bench of justices S Ravinder Bhatt and S P Garg directed the two bodies to file their replies after talking to the girls and listed the matter for further hearing tomorrow. The girls, currently lodged at reform home Nirmal Chhaya after being rescued from GB Road area, are seeking release saying they are "forcibly confined" and do not want to go back to their respective homes. These girls were recently rescued during a joint operation of Andhra Pradesh and Delhi Police on the direction of a court at Hyderabad. The Hyderabad court had issued a search warrant and directed the police to present these girls on the submission of a minor girl who had escaped from the red light area here. The minor girl had said that others from Hyderabad were also kept in confine in the red light area forcibly. The joint operation had rescued around 72 girls and except these 15 others were allowed to go home. The two minors were handed over to their relatives. The girls said that as the other were allowed to go, they should also be allowed to walk free.

Human trafficking agents yet to be arrested

The human trafficking agents who had sold off two young women to a brothel owner on G.B. Road here are still at large. The victims were rescued earlier this week in a joint operation by the police and a non-government organisation.
The victims, one of whom is a minor, were subjected to physical torture. They were brought to the Capital from South 24 Parganas in West Bengal on the promise of jobs as domestic helps. Both were then forced into prostitution. “The persons identified by them as local agents operating in South 24 Parganas are yet to be arrested. While it is necessary to rehabilitate the victims, it is equally important to break the entire chain through which the girls are being trafficked. All of them should be brought to book,” said Rishi Kant of NGO Shakti Vahini.
A police officer said action should also be taken against those who had kept the victims in confinement in Delhi after they were brought here.
The minor girl, who was rescued on Sunday night with the help of the young woman released from the clutches of flesh traders about a week ago, was on Tuesday produced before the Child Welfare Committee that issued directions for registration of a case against the person who brought her to the Capital. Restoring the girl to her brother, the committee said: “The child will not work, she should instead be sent to open school for education.” 

Woman who tipped against traffickers is a suspect: Cops

The woman, who tipped the police about the placement agency that had trafficked 20 children to work as a domestic help in Delhi, used to work with the same agency and was herself involved in trafficking children, police investigation has revealed. The police are now probing her role and 
are likely to arrest her as she is believed to be behind the trafficking of six of them.
After a tiff with the placement agency owner she had filed the complaint with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which resulted in the rescue of six girls on Wednesday. The owner of the placement agency has already been arrested.
"The children who have been rescued have also identified woman as one of the traffickers. We are currently questioning her and she will be arrested soon," a senior police officer said.
The CWC had received the complaint from the woman against LG placement agency and directed crime branch of Delhi Police to investigate the matter.
On Wednesday, a team of Delhi police and an NGO raided at least eight agencies and rescued six minors from different parts of the city.
According to sources, such raids are going to intensify in the coming few days. Police said six of the 20 minors are believed to be back in their hometown.
Some of the girls who were rescued were not even being paid for the work they did. Most of the girls hail from West Bengal.  The CWC in its order had also asked the police to register case against the accused placement agency under the Juvenile Justice Act and cases under relevant sections against the employers too.
The report further directed an age determination test to be conducted on all the girls at Safdarjung hospital.
There are 2,300 placement agencies in Delhi out of which 325 are registered under commercial establishment act. This registration is voluntary and not mandatory.  Therefore several agencies don't register themselves.
In a related incident, the police had rescued as many as 20 boys on Wednesday from the Old Delhi Railway Station. They were brought to Delhi by traffickers on the pretext of providing better paying jobs.

6 minor girls from W Bengal rescued in capital live

New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI) Close on the heels of the shocking case of a doctor couple locking up a young maid, Delhi police has rescued six minor girls allegedly trafficked from villages in West Bengal and supplied as domestic maids by a placement agency here. The police conducted multiple raids following an order issued by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and targeted the premises of the placement agency in Chirag Delhi and houses where maids were believed to have been supplied. According to a statement by Shakti Vahini NGO, six minor girls were rescued -- two from the houses of their employers and four from the premises of the LG placement agency. The girls were today produced before the CWC which ordered that cases be registered under the Juvenile Justice Act against the employers and traffickers. In line with a CWC order, a team of crime branch and representatives of two NGOs was formed and raids were conducted yesterday. While four girls -- 13, 17 and 11 years of age -- were rescued from the premises of the agency, two sisters aged 18 and 15 years were rescued from the house of their employers where they were working since the last few months after being placed by the agency, the NGO claimed in a statement. Three of the girls had allegedly not been paid by their employers and one was sent back to the agency on allegation of theft. Most of the girls were trafficked from villages in West Bengal and the agency is allegedly run by two persons named Laxman and Rahu. The CWC directed the crime branch to produce the rescued kids before it and also asked it to produce a girl found at one of the raided houses, who did not appear minor prima facie. The CWC also directed NGO Shakti Vahini to contact the anti human trafficking unit of West Bengal to expedite the repatriation of the girls to their families. It also said that a statement of all girls should be recorded before the SDM under the Bonded Labour Act, and all six should be provided shelter and care.
IBN live

Human (bride) trafficking a thriving business in Rajasthan

JAIPUR/ALWAR: Munni Devi, the woman who was picked up by the Delhi police from Rajasthan for abandoning a two-year-old battered baby, who is admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre, was staying in a village in Jhunjhunu district for nearly three months. She was sold off to a man here for Rs 2.5 lakh by a human trafficking gang.

Munni Devi is not an isolated case of girls being sold in the area. The two key suspects in the battered baby case- Rajkumar and Kanta Bai - have a case registered against them with the MIA police station in Alwar district.

"The case was registered in August 2010 in which both had been accused of selling a girl to someone," said a senior police officer. source

"On August 16, one Ali Akbar from West Bengal had approached the then Alwar SP Alok Vashishta claiming that he had married off his daughter Shayara to one Anees, a resident of Mia police station area in Alwar. Over a period of three years, the girl was sold to four different people. Anees first sold her to one Vikki who further sold her to Kanta Bai. The woman then sold her to Rajkumar and finally Shayara was bought by one Jagmohan. The police recovered the girl from Jagmohan," the officer said. Shayara was later produced in a court and then handed over to her father.

Rajkumar and Kanta Bai are registered as husband and wife in the complaint. While Rajkumar was arrested by the police and later released on bail, Kanta Bai had got an anticipatory bail.

Such gangs are active in Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi. Most of these girls belong to Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Assam from where these gangs abduct or buy them from their parents. They are either forced into prostitution or made to marry an older man.

Several first information reports (FIR) have been registered with the police across the state which point at the thriving business of selling girls for money.

In Alwar district alone, at least six cases of girls being sold had come up in 2010. Add to that, several cases that go unreported everyday.

"The masterminds behind these gangs are mostly residents of Mewat region in Rajasthan which includes Alwar district. In some recent cases, those involved in the racket have turned out to be drivers. Parents sell their girls in Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Assam for Rs 20,000 to Rs 50000. Then, they are brought to Rajasthan and other states including Haryana and Delhi," a senior police officer said.

The gang members marry the girls, rape them and then after some time sell them off to a buyer at a higher price.

"In some cases, it has been found that the owners of dhabas and hotel owners situated on the Jaipur-Delhi national highway play the role of mediators in selling the girls to the third party," the officer added.

Delhi cops rescue four Bangalore girls

Four Bangalore girls, including two minors, were rescued on Sunday from the clutches of flesh traders after a joint team of Delhi and Karnataka police conducted a raid in the red light area of G B Road. Three pimps were arrested.

The Karnataka Police received a tip-off that a 17-year-old girl was lured by a human trafficker and being taken to Delhi for flesh trade by the Sampark Kranti Express.

Working on the input and with the help of technical surveillance, a police team nabbed Venkatesh (26), on the train in Karnataka and rescued the girl.

During interrogation, Venkatesh told police that he had lured the minor on the pretext of marrying her in Delhi. “He, however, had planned to sell the minor at G B Road,” said police officer Pramod Joshi.

The Karnataka police then came to the national capital and approached local cops. A joint team of Karnataka and Delhi police laid a trap and arrested Allauddin, a 27-year-old resident of Shakarpur in east Delhi, at Shastri Park in north east Delhi.
“Venkatesh had planned to sell the minor to Allauddin,” said Joshi, who was also investigating into the matter.

During interrogation, the duo told police that they had further planned to sell the minor to a 45-year-old woman pimp – Jyoti, in charge of Kotha number 68 of G B Road. Police then arrested Jyoti, who trafficked girls especially from South India.

Working on another missing girl case, the joint team raided Kotha number 68. During the raid, a 15-year-old girl, who was missing from Bangalore since September 2011, was rescued.  “Seeing the police, two more girls, who were forced into flesh trade a few years ago, approached for help. They too were rescued along with the minor,” said Joshi.

During interrogation, the minor told police that Venkatesh had brought her to Delhi on the pretext of providing a good job and had sold her at G B Road, where she was forced into the flesh trade after physical torture. Another of the rescued girls told the police that she was brought to Delhi by one of her acquaintances on the pretext of a holiday trip.


Northeast girls being trafficked to Haryana for marriage

NEW DELHI: A large number of girls from the northeast are being regularly trafficked and forced to enter into wedlock in Haryana, the home ministry has found. Law enforcement agencies have found many such instances, specifically in Hissar district of the state.

A definite trend was noted by the home ministry which on Wednesday reviewed measures being taken by different states to combat human trafficking which takes the dimension of organized crime in the country.

It was also noted during the day-long meeting that girls from Nepal, Bangladesh and different parts of the country were often trafficked to metropolitan cities. While most of them ended up in brothels, the remaining were used by traffickers as child labourers, organ transplant donors and camel jockeys.

"We have recovered many girls from Hissar in Haryana. All of them were forcibly married after being trafficked," Assam superintendent of police Violet Baruah said after a meeting of state anti-trafficking cell officers here.

Baruah said the issue has been a major concern for Assam and such crimes have been taking place very often and happening due to the dismal sex ratio in Haryana.

Additional secretary in the home ministry B Bhamathi, who chaired the review meeting, said, "It is a major concern for us. With a view to tackling the menace of human trafficking, the ministry has undertaken a number of measures that include setting up of an anti-trafficking nodal cell to act as a focal point for communicating various decisions and follow up on action taken by the state governments."

Bhamathi said the home ministry had sanctioned a comprehensive scheme against trafficking in human beings through training and capacity building.

"It is proposed to establish 330 anti-human trafficking units (AHTUs) throughout the country and impart training to 10,000 police officers through training of trainers component," she said.

The ministry has already released Rs 8.72 crore to all states as first installment for 2010-11 for setting up 115 AHTUs. All states have received funds and 101 AHTUs are functional. Funds for 2011-12 have also been released to the state governments for establishment of 110 AHTUs.

A project on strengthening law enforcement response in India against trafficking in human beings was taken up in the home ministry as a joint initiative of the government of India and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in select states.

"The joint project has contributed towards developing of 12 very important resource books about protocols and standard operating procedures and in setting up of AHTUs," Bhamathi said.

TOI

Girls forced into flesh trade rescued

Two girls, including a minor, who were kidnapped from West Bengal to be forced into flesh trade, have been rescued from national capital's red light area, police said today.
Both girls are friends and belong to a poor family in West Bengal's 24 Paragana (South) district.
"They were brought to Delhi by their boyfriends, who hail from same village, on the pretext of marrying them but they sold them to a brothel in G B Road," said Devesh Chandra Srivastva, ACP Central District.
The girls were freed from the brothel yesterday evening, after Delhi Police received information from the West Bengal police about two girls being kidnapped and confined in the brothel, he said, adding police has obtained the photographs of the girls through email.
The raid was conducted along with the volunteers of a Shakti Vahini and the girls were freed and sent to Bapuna shelter home.
Also, on January 12 police had rescued 10 girls brought from Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
Some of the girls were either minor or forced into the flesh trade against their wishes. The raid was conducted in collaboration with an NGO 'Rescue Foundation'.
The managers of the brothels have been arrested, the official said. SOURCE 

26 trafficked girls from Jharkhand rescued from Delhi

RANCHI: The state welfare department with the help of Association Against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children (ATSEC) rescued 26 minor girls from different localities of New Delhi. The rescued girls were brought to the city on Monday by ATSEC volunteers.

With this, the total number of rescued girls from New Delhi and neighbouring places in the last eight months has reached 94. Admitting that trafficking of girls from Jharkhand has become a major concern for the state government social welfare minister, Bimla Pradhan, said to put an end to this as they have now started providing vocational training to the rescued girls. The department has rescued 94 children, including 13 boys, who were trafficked to New Delhi, and most of them have been handed over to their parents.

In case, the department is not able to trace their parents then the girls are kept in shelter homes which are supported by the department. There they are provided free education and vocational training. "We are slowly moving in positive direction and expect that in the years to come, no girl will be required to move out of Jharkhand in search of job. Every rescued girl will get a job after they are trained," said Pradhan.

Sources in the social welfare department contradicted the claims of the minister to check trafficking with a few years. "Most of the NGOs, including ATSEC and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, which is working to rescue the girls from Delhi are not getting financial support from the state government. We cannot expect these NGOs to work with sincerity without financial support from the government and if non-payment continues they are not going to work sincerely and problem of trafficking will not end," said a source.
The minister, however, tried to play down the matter. "We had stopped giving money to NGOs to verify their credential and claims. If the funds of ATSEC and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh have been stopped then I will check it and ensure that they get it at the earliest," said the minister. Source

Assam2Delhi March Against Bride Trafficking : Brief report

Finally, the community comes together to stand up against the Bride trafficking. Today there are about 500 community groups having more than 5,000 such community members. The high way of in- country trafficking especially for bride trafficking starts from Assam and West Bengal and goes down to the capital of the country.  The mobilisation of the community is very encouraging outcome of the 16 day march started on 1st March 2012. The March had covered 4,400 odd km travelling through 21 districts of the two states.

Some facts, case studies and videos related to Bride trafficking were shared shared in the street meetings during the march.  When these facts were shared in the street meetings during the march and when they were motivated to take charge of protection of their daughters, people found the right forum to come together. At times mothers of victim or two broke down in public as their daughters are still missing. They are sold by the known persons as brides  far away from home.
Religious leader also came forward. They actively participated in the motor bike rally. Imams discussed the plight of victims in their meeting in the mosques. The social issues being discussed by religious leaders will go a long way in combating bride trafficking. Some 50 meetings and two Anti-trafficking conventions with Muslim religious leaders were held. These meeting ended with the promise that the discussion over the issue on Friday khutba will be continued with inputs from EMPOWER PEOPLE on situation it will be taken up once a month.

Similarly, Arya Smaj also has shown keen interest in taking up activities related to this social movement against bride trafficking. They have planned to start a campaign in their area with help of EMPOWER PEOPLE.

Wall writing in Bangla language during March
The support of the Community Based Organisation (CBOs) and NGOs was exceptionally good. They provided all the support for logistics to conduct the meetings and also brought in the local reality which has lead to increased number of cases of trafficking for marriage. The common men, young and old were equally involved in the march. Children and women also have extended their support seeing it as their own cause.






Plan of March :Assam to Delhi” and concept of “people’s network against trafficking” which is named as “civic anti trafficking unit” was actually result of the feedback from the concerned groups and targeted communities.  

The Social movement against trafficking has began.


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