Trafficking in teenage girls: A field study in an extremely vulnerable zone in north east India

Trafficking in girl children for onward sale for commercial exploitation is on the rise keeping parity with tremendous expansion of urban landscape in contemporary India.  Illegal sex industry is thriving on the back of rising demand of swelling clientele consisting of irregular visitors, migrants and tourists.   These trafficked girls are susceptible to HIV infection, physical abuse by the pimps or brothel keepers, mental agony, unsafe and unhygienic living condition and extreme financial hardship.   A research study has been conducted during 2008-2009 in one area situated in the backward Northeast India from where hundreds of girls are reportedly trafficked each year.  This field study over the “source” area of trafficking mostly has covered sick and closed tea gardens where abysmal poverty befalls in the wake of closure of tea gardens one after another.  The upsetting closure and consequent job loss has been caused primarily by persistent loss in the business of tea manufacturing.   Labouring families having no productive assets to fall back upon bear the brunt.  Because of lack of skill, they cannot switch over to other alternative occupations. Thus these distressed families are easily turned in to easy prey for traffickers and these areas are trouble-free hunting ground for the tricksters.  Lure of cash, promise of job and educational prospects in cities, even fake marriages are examples of tricks applied by the traffickers. This study  has found that household poverty , illiteracy,  police inaction, insensitivity of local self-governments, connivance with local agents, acquiescence of parents, have been found to collectively contribute to  cause trafficking in girls from the supply side.  Rail station is very close to the “source” area.  Constant vigil in cooperation with railways and police, community monitoring, economic empowerment of families through provision of alternative livelihoods and universal schooling are measure to be taken up urgently.