Human Trafficking In India, Not A Serious Crime!

Human trafficking continues unabated in India, as police and bureaucrats don’t seem to treat it as a serious crime, find Aijaz Nazir and Shalini Bhardwaj.

- Aijaz Nazir and Shalini Bhardwaj

Sakina is unable to move she has become so weak. Her collarbones seem to strain against her skin. Her deep, sunken eyes are hardly visible on her pale face. She has been diagnosed with multiple infections.

Sakina was admitted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital (GTB) in New Delhi by Aslam, who had confined her in Delhi for 12 months after she was sent from West Bengal by a trafficker named Babu. During this period, Sakina was supplied to several people in different states and was allegedly raped by at least 10 men daily. Police has arrested Aslam, but the prime accused Babu is still at large.

Sitting in a corridor of the hospital, Fatima regrets that nobody helped them for so long. She is hopeful now of her daughter’s recovery and return home. But the 18-year-old girl is suffering from septic arthritis — inflammation of joints caused by a bacterial infection. Doctors have attributed this to repeated sexual assaults.

On 8 December 2014, Sakina was abducted from outside the government hospital in Kolkata’s Diamond Harbour area while she was waiting for her sister-in-law, who had gone to consult a doctor. Fatima’s family went to the police but no action was taken. “Police showed a callous attitude. We went from one police station to another but no one was ready to take our case.” says Fatima.

After five months, in April 2015, Sakina called home from Delhi and narrated her plight. “We immediately rushed to the police and informed them about Sakina. the police officer talked to her. She gave her exact location in Delhi,” says Fatima. “However, instead of taking any action, the police advised us to approach the State Women’s Commission.”