Tough on trafficking in all its forms
Shaheen was just 15 when she ran away from her home in Bihar to marry a much older man but was bitterly betrayed when he sold her into Mumbai’s red light district. Sadly, trafficking is a horrifying crime that blights the lives of more than 22.5 million people in South Asia. 75% of victims are young girls and women and 1 in 3 of these is a child, like Shaheen.
India faces a modern day slavery crisis with the greatest number of people being trafficked in South Asia. In 2016, it was reported that 18.3 million victims are exploited in various industries including construction, sex industries and forced begging. 70% of all victims are illiterate and around half of them survive on less than $1 a day.
Whilst some are sexually exploited for money, others are sold into domestic slavery or bonded labour. Child brides are traded and forced into marriages and an entire industry has spawned from child sex tourism.
Trafficking is a gendered issue. In South Asia, gender biases begin when girls are born. These patriarchal norms are entrenched in complex structures of poverty and inequality that fuel gender discrimination and normalise violence against women, and therefore trafficking of women and girls.
As global pressure mounts to respond to this issue, the Government of India this year introduced the 2016 Trafficking of Persons Bill, which proposed a national response for prevention, protection and rehabilitation for all cases of trafficking.
But though this response goes some way to recognising the issue at hand, we are far from seeing it trickle down to the community level in a meaningful way. Much of the work is still focused on rescue, rather than prevention and rehabilitation, which often leaves survivors vulnerable to being re-trafficked.
That’s why I’m proud to be working with the British Asian Trust, which seeks to bridge this gap by partnering with grassroots organisations, which are at the frontline of tackling trafficking and meeting the needs of victims.
Thankfully Shaheen was rescued and taken to a state-run home. However her parents initially refused to take her back – her father fearing social stigma. When Shaheen became aggressive and started self-harming, she was given mental health support and counselling. A link was then established with her family, and a care plan formulated to enable her return, plus support for her father.
The Trust is also empowering communities to play a bigger role in staying safe, by utilising existing laws and services that will make them less vulnerable to trafficking, and better able to access education and employment opportunities.
It is this work that is crucial to supporting so many girls like Shaheen over the next few years. The Trust aims to grow its work across South Asia to ensure protection and empowerment for women and girls across the region.
Nina Wadia, British Asian Trust Ambassador.
As an ambassador for the British Asian Trust, Nina has been a passionate advocate of the causes the Trust is tackling. She is supporting our first BBC Radio 4 Appeal, which airs at 7.55am or 9.26pm on Sunday 5th February 2017 and then again at 3.27pm on Thursday 9th. Please tune in to hear how you can make a big difference.