In recent years, the state of Jharkhand has emerged as a vulnerable state for trafficking of women
and children for forced labour and slavery. Thousands of children from Jharkhand are traded and trafficked by placement
agencies to domestic homes in Delhi. The children and women remain in slavery and bonded labour like conditions. Several cases of sexual slavery have also been reported
from rescued victims
from Jharkhand in Delhi. The placement
agencies operate without fear of law and have mushroomed across Jharkhand. Most of these placement agencies are organised crime syndicates
and they regularly
indulge in trafficking of women and children.
The business of placement agencies
has been fuelled
by huge demand of maids from eastern
tribal states in the National Capital Region of Delhi. In the last three years, NGOs working in Delhi have reported rampant trafficking of
women and children from Jharkhand.
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| Report: Human Trafficking |
Traffickers
from Jharkhand operate
from New Delhi in the guise of placement
agencies which is a high earning business.
The traffickers bring the victims to Delhi from where they are supplied to different places depending on
the price the trafficker can get. Mostly these victims are being sent to domestic homes to work as slaves in Faridabad, Gurgaon,
Noida and Delhi. Children as young as
11- 14 years are placed in homes and are made to work as domestic help for 14-16 hours a day. Some of the victims are sent to Haryana where there is a demand of brides for marriage. Jharkhand women and children have been also in high demand to work as bonded labour in Haryana and
Punjab.
Abject poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, difficult access areas, shrinking land holding by the local populace, network of placement agencies
were
cited as the main reasons for large-scale migration from Jharkhand to other cities. The land is degraded to a great extent due to deforestation, mining activities and rampant
industrialization. Though vast area of
land is available, no
technological inputs have been brought out to improvise
the production in the region.
Thus in majority of the regions, there is one crop pattern and mainly rain fed cultivation takes place. Lack of agricultural operations in a full-fledged manner is also leaving the landless labor high and dry. The only option available to
them is migration. Thus during the non-agricultural seasons one can witness exodus from the villages in search of work in
the neighboring states.
Jharkhand faces a huge problem
of child labour. The state
has been running the National Child Labour Project
in Garwah, Sahibganj, Dumka,
Pakur, West Singhbhum
(Chaibasa), Gumla, Palamu,
and Hazaribagh. As per the 2001 census, the number of child labour working stood at 4,07,200.
As per the 2006 NSSO data, Jharkhand has 2,06,000 children working as
child labour. The number of child labour
who have been mainstreamed by the NCLP programmes till 2011
was 18,241.
The gaps between the "haves" and "have nots" are quite large in Jharkhand. Though in the books of law, the Zamindari system143 is abolished, they have now taken the new avatar of middlemen
and contractors in the region.
In the extreme torn regions of Palamu, Garhwa,
Lohardaga, Chaibasa, Koderma and
Hazaribag, the common people are
subjected to ills of administration on the one hand, the contractors on the other hand and above them are extremists
who virtually rule the region with their own Jan Lok Adalats144, extortion and the levy of
taxes which is known in
the local language as percentage system.
The Gair Majaru lands are in the absolute possession of the landlords. The landlords own even trees of common property. Their control over the resources
is absolute. With the abolition of the Zamindari system, the feudal landlords have taken to extortion of the people by becoming the contractors for all the
development
programs in the regions. The poor landless labourer is forced to work for their lifetime in the landlords' land and the only other option is migration in
search of greener pastures.
As per the ATSEC Jharkhand Report in 2010, approximately 42,000 girls have been trafficked from Jharkhand
to metropolitan cities. The victims who are working as domestic
help in various
urban households across the country
are often made to work in
pathetic conditions. In some cases they are even sexually exploited.
About 70 percent of the total migrant women and girls are forced to join the flesh trade. A Rapid Assessment of Domestic Workers in
8 districts (the most affected with problem of migration) was done by ATSEC Jharkhand and Research Plus Group, Ranchi. The findings
of the study
indicated that most of the trafficked victims are below 20 years and many of them
are children. Many of them are in slavery like conditions
and earn below minimum wages. The main destination for migration is Delhi145.
Due to the shortage
of brides in villages and
towns of Haryana and
Punjab, woman are trafficked from distant states like Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha. From the state of Jharkhand, the girls are brought to Delhi and Punjab mainly for the purpose of prostitution and daily labour. A small percentage of the total migrating women from Jharkhand are also sold into coerced
marriage. Another aspect of girls being brought to Delhi from Jharkhand, Bihar, and Odisha is for domestic work. A great number of these women are brought and then sold to the brothels
and send to other places. The others are sexually exploited
as sex slaves and forced into prostitution in the form of unorganized and
movable brothels. The trafficking from West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar is mainly through train routes and only a small percentage is through other means146.
Trafficking
of children for the carpet industry
in Uttar Pradesh is also very high. Majority of the children working in the carpet sector,
be it in Uttar Pradesh (UP) or
in Jharkhand are migrant child labourers from Palamau and Garwa district in Jharkhand. These districts are the prime catchment area for child labourers especially Garhwa. In any village in the district there is hardly a
home where child labour does not exist.
Estimates are that there are 11,000 in Garhwa alone who are child labourers within the carpet industry. There are two kinds of child labour
in this sector, child labour involving forced migration
of children to UP where they stay and work with their masters,
and child labour whereby children work in the looms in their own villages. These children lead a life of
bondage and slavery. Parents pledge their children for petty loans of Rs.300 – 500 (USD 9)
to the middlemen. The children are
packed off to dark, dingy prisons
under the guise of loom houses, where they are expected to live and work. Some fortunate
ones do manage to escape but their freedom is usually temporary. Most parents do not welcome the return of the
prodigal son if he is empty-handed and he is soon forced back to work. Although carpet-weaving employment exists in their villages, the
wage rates in Garwa, Jharkhand are much lower than in neighbouring U.P. However,
the work conditions are so miserable that many children
run away before their advance
contract has been fulfilled, so they never actually earn a regular wage. The main factors responsible for the migration
of children are the advance
payment systems and the active role of the agents or middleman. Occupational health hazards such as asthma, lung diseases caused by dust and fibres, tuberculosis, skin allergies, poisoning by dyes, scabies, back pain, hip pain, limb pain and severe
strain in the fingers are common. Cuts and injuries while using sharp knives and tools
are a regular occurrence.
Missing Children
As per the National Crime Records Bureau, the state of Jharkhand has not been reporting figures related
to missing children and missing
persons since 2009. In the absence of data on missing children
and rampant trafficking of
victims being reported from Jharkhand, it is very difficult to assess the real situation
of trafficking of children
and women.
State Government
Initiatives
Though the
State Advisory Committee on trafficking was set up, the same has not
been functioning. The Jharkhand State has formulated a
state action plan to combat human trafficking but
this has not been implemented so far.
The Jharkhand Police have set up 25 Special
Juvenile Police Units in all districts of the
state. Sixteen ‘protection homes’ under
Integrated Child
Protection Scheme have been designated. Inspite
of receiving a grant under ICPS, the state of Jharkhand
has not set up any of the Child Protection Units at
the district level. Twenty four CWCs have been
established but they continue
to work without any infrastructure. Some of the CWCs have reported non payment of salaries. The
documentation level of CWC and ‘protection homes’ is very dismal.
The government has not
initiated standard minimum care and protection for victims. Despite the huge amount of trafficking reported in the region, this continues to be treated
as a migration problem and
not as organised crime.
In a recent
case of trafficking of
a 13 year old child in Delhi, the
NCPCR
visited Ranchi and Gumla district to take a view of the
government run initiatives. The Commission among other things has recommended establishment of Children’s Homes at Ranchi and Gumla, capacity building and strengthening of CWCs and
registration of all child care institutions under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000. The NCPCR also stated that
Jharkhand should accelerate the implementation of Integrated Child Protection Scheme. The Department of Social Welfare has been asked to evolve the mechanism to work in coordination with the Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and NGOs on the issue of trafficking and missing children. The Jharkhand Government has
agreed for a routine
survey
undertaken by the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan
(SSA) to include a
separate column on missing
children. The role of NGOs as handholding could be vital in spreading
the awareness among parents and community, undertake preventive rescue, rescue from the railway station, destination point and ensure implementation of schemes like SABLA for their rehabilitation to prevent re-trafficking. The
Commission
also recommended to ensure that the
railway authority coordinates in curbing the trafficking of children
at the source point while boarding the trains.
There is a need to impart training
to the ‘village chowkidars’ to act as the ‘first information officer’
to report about the
missing children from their respective villages and to set up emergency
helpline numbers to be circulated and displayed prominently at all the major points depicting
the names of persons to be contacted
in case of suspected trafficking. The State Government has also been requested to designate a senior officer
of the rank of DRC in Resident
Commissioner’s office in important
metro centers to ensure speedy
coordination and facilitate rescue & restoration process of the identified trafficked children. Also the
NCPCR
recommended that the community should
be sensitized on the issue of trafficking through wall writings/ cultural activities /road shows, etc. and to ensure that the
details of identified traffickers are displayed prominently at
all prominent places including the village Chaupals, police stations, bus depots, railway stations, etc147.
Anti Human Trafficking Units
Compared to the State Government initiatives, the AHTUs set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs
in Jharkhand have been proactively working
on various anti trafficking initiatives. The Unit has already held several refresher courses on human trafficking for the police and other stakeholders. The State AHTU has also organised
a prosecutor regional consultation and the state level prosecutors have also been trained. The AHTU Jharkhand has initiated partnerships with various organizations in
Delhi
and Kolkata for getting support for conducting raids for recovery
of victims of human trafficking. The advisories sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs
on human trafficking and
Missing Children has been widely distributed to all district police chiefs.
The AHTU has also established linkage
with the State Commission of Women to provide support to trafficked victims.
The AHTU has in collaboration with UNICEF brought out a district level directory
of all institutional mechanisms existing in the state for child protection. The same has been widely distributed to all police stations and special Juvenile Police Officers in
Jharkhand.
JHARKHAND
– PROTECTION MECHANISMS AT A GLANCE:
No of Anti Human
Trafficking Units (Districts)
|
8
|
No of District Child
Protection Units
|
-
|
No of Child Protection Homes
|
16
|
No of Special Juvenile
Police Units
|
25
|
No of Child
Welfare Committee
|
24
|
No of Homes
under Ujjawala P & R
Schemes
|
0
|
No of Shelter
Homes under Swadhar Scheme
|
2
|
A state level network of organizations working
on anti trafficking has been initiated in
Jharkhand called the “Voices against trafficking”. This network consisting of 70 organizations has conducted a state level anti trafficking campaign across Jharkhand in December 2011. The Secretariat of
the Voices against Trafficking is presently with “Jharkhand Mahila Samakhya”. The network has also
coordinated with National level NGOs in Delhi for rescue of trafficked victims.
The Government of Jharkhand, aware of
the rampant trafficking
of women and children has set up a Women and Child Helpline in delhi by providing assistance to
NGO Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. A total
of 155 victims have been provided support out of which 143 have been repatriated till August 2012.
Yuwa is a
Jharkhand based NGO using girls' football
to promote health,
education, and improved livelihoods. Yuwa provides a platform for young women to gain confidence
to make a change in their world.
Teamwork is a powerful force to prevent trafficking by focusing on the three
primary causes of a young woman's
vulnerability: little opportunity, gender inequality, and lack of confidence. Founded in January 2009 with 15 girls in
one village, Yuwa now has over 200 girls in 10 villages practicing three hours a day, six days a week. In less than
a year, 13 of Yuwa's girls lifted the state team's national
ranking from 20th place to 4th. With her newfound confidence comes a sense
of self-worth which sparks her interest in
her own education
and health. The organization has been successfully using football as a means to
bring
empowerment among girls and adolescent so that they don’t fall in the clutches of human traffickers.
143A zamindar or zemindar in the Indian subcontinent was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of
land and held control over his peasants, from whom the zamindars reserved the right to
collect tax (often for military purposes). Over time, they took princely and
royal titles such as Maharaja (Great King), Raja (King), Nawab (Lord), Mirza (Prince), reddy (ruler), Chowdhury (Lord), and
many others.
144Lok Adalat is a system of alternative dispute
resolution developed in India. It roughly means "People’s
court".
145"Childhood on fire" ATSEC Jharkhand
-2010, Report by Bharatiya Kisan Sangh
Ranchi (ATSEC
Jharkhand)
146http://shaktivahini.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/situational_report_shakti_vahini.pdf, accesses on 24 December 2012
147Inter alia the NCPCR has also recommended:
1. Activate the
institutions prescribed under ICPS within next three months;
2. State Government to
map all the
Child Care Institutions (CCIs) in the State and
ensure their registration NGO-run Homes
U/S 34(3) of Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act, 2000, and also ensure a robust mechanism
of monitoring and inspection and regular submission of Inspection reports to ensure protection
of children against any child right violations, deprivations or subject to any kind of
physical or sexual abuse;
3. While mapping the out-of-school children under
SSA, an
extra column may be inserted as “Missing Children”,
which is expected to be of
immense help in tracking the missing / trafficked children;
4. The network
of NGOs to
be utilized
extensively and in close coordination with the
District administration and State Government in advocacy and awareness programme on anti-trafficking and curb
child labour;
5. Training requirements of anti-human trafficking units (AHTUs) and special juvenile police units
(SJPUs) be extensively taken up for sensitizing the Police officials on the issues concerning to child rights; and
6. Ensure inclusion of
the child right issues and the child jurisprudence in the
curriculum of Police Training
Module in the Police Academy & Police Training College.
148Ministry of Women and Child, Government of India – September 2012
(Extract from India Country Assessment Report on Human Trafficking)
Courtesy: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2013