A transnational human trafficking racket, involving some Bangladeshis, has trafficked at least 500 young women and girls to India over the last five years and forced them into sex trade. Following the arrest of a Bangladeshi by Indian police in Bengaluru for torturing a 22-year-old woman that went viral on social media, Rab arrested three members of a racket. The racket used to lure young girls through TikTok and a Facebook group and then trafficked them to the South Indian city. Because of the clandestine nature of trafficking in persons and rare prosecutions, human trafficking in the region is increasing significantly.
News media reports said the traffickers took the women and the girls to the bordering districts — Jashore, Satkhira and Jhenidah and kept them there at “safe houses”. From there, at a favourable time, brokers or “line-men” took the victims across through unfenced border areas or “managing the people at the border”. The Indian agents would receive the women and keep them at safe houses near the border of the neighbouring country. The victims are then sent to Kolkata’s safe house and to Bengaluru from there.
According to a report, 200,000 Bangladeshi women and children have been taken out of the country in last 10 years. Trafficking in persons is now promoted using the social media. Traffickers are using the social media to convince people and to proliferate their trafficking operations. They are spreading many rumors and fraudulent advertisements online. Most countries of the world are being affected by such kinds of crimes. But in the ultimate analysis traffickers take advantage of poverty of victims to trap them alluring jobs.
Human trafficking involves several other crimes like smuggling of persons, sexual offences, and exploitation of children, among others. The Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act (PSHT), 2012 is meant for restraining and suppressing human trafficking at the earliest possible time and ensuring the protection of victims of the offence. It is extremely essential to ensure proper implementation of the laws concerning the offences of human trafficking.
