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| The Menace of Human Trafficking
Tazeen Javed THERE is no denying the fact that global
human trafficking has now become more lucrative than that of, say, arms
and drugs. Human trafficking does not take place in isolation. It is
directly related to the social and economic realities of a society that
are a consequence of liberalization and free market economy. Globalization
has severed the traditional socio-economic fabric, and has made women and
children vulnerable. They are increasingly becoming a commodity to be sold
in the 'world Market'. Free market forces are responsible for
urbanization and the disintegration of rural communities, which are
leading towards even more poverty of the already destitute. The other
factors which contribute towards the increase in flesh-trade are attitudes
towards women and questions of dowry, polygamy, marital problems,
desertion etc., Industrialization, development of road links, desirability
of easy life promoted by consumerism, large families and contracting
economical resources leading children to be viewed as marketable
commodities, illicit sexual relations and women ostracized on score of
chastity, lack of education and the prevalence of feudal culture. The status of women and children in
relation to property rights, institutionalization of exploitative
practices, lack of awareness about legal protection and rights, and
discriminatory laws are some of the legal factors which contribute towards
the acceleration of human trafficking. Along with them, over- population,
lack of documentation, unemployment, disintegration of rural support
systems and the ever-increasing numbers of young dependents further hasten
the process. While loud proclamations are made of the
sanctity of human rights and the dignity of human beings, flesh-trade
remains rampant, which is a negation of all the pious declarations of
development and equality. With the recent re-emergence of organized
worldwide syndicates, human beings in general, and women and children in
particular, are bought and sold to cater to a variety of needs: sex
slavery, prostitution, legal and illegal labour and marriages, bonded
labour, camel jockeys, baby farms, adoption and entertainment. Some
incidences of organ trade have also been reported, especially from India. In the context of Pakistan, the problem of
human trade and trafficking is multidimensional in nature, as it needs to
be addressed on various fronts. First of all, it is the destination point
for those being trafficked in from Bangladesh, Burma, Afghanistan and
Central Asia; secondly, a transit point for those brought in from Far East
Asia and Bangladesh to be taken elsewhere; and additionally, it is a
recruiting ground for those who are internally (inter-provincially)
trafficked, or sent to Afghanistan and the Gulf. The victims of trafficking are either lured
by better job prospects, or kidnapped against their wishes. In some cases,
women and children are sold by their parents, guardians and husbands.
Sometimes girls are sold after fake marriages, or deceived into illegal
cross-border migration. Domestic servant Abida Begum was sold by her
Rajshahi-based parents in 1989 when she was 15 years old. She was smuggled
from Bangladesh through India to Pakistan. In Karachi, she was sold to a
taxi driver, who took her to Quetta where they got married. She cooked and
cleaned for a household of eight, and was frequently beaten up by her
husband. She left her house when her father-in- law started molesting her
in her husband's absence. In the meantime, she had two children. She hitch
hiked from Quetta to Karachi and lived on streets for 13 months. When
asked if she wants to be repatriated, she rejected the idea, saying:
"They have sold me once and would do so again. I will never go
back." Pakistan, as a country, has not been able
to provide a remotely satisfactory standard of living to its people.
According to some estimates, 1.1 million people are added to the labour
market each year. With the limited absorption capacity of the labour
market, more than half of these new entrants are unable to find jobs. The
induction of trafficked workforce into an already saturated market further
deteriorates the situation. The main hindrances in the elimination of
the problem are lack of sufficient information on the issue, lack of
awareness at community level, lack of adequate legal protection, absence
of shelter and rehabilitation programmes, lack of political commitment on
the part of governments, and the lack of proper law enforcement due to
which the crime itself often remains invisible. Traffickers, recruiters and agents on the
other hand, have clear links with politicians and influential people in
the trade, as well as with various institutions such as police, customs,
border forces, overseas recruiters, travel agents, transport agents,
religious institutions, hospitals and clinics, adoption agencies and
baby-farms. It must be continually emphasized that they - and not the
victims - should bear the brunt of legislation and penal action. When women and children are either
trafficked into an area, or recovered and settled down in the cities,
there are instances which may result in friction in the already volatile
circumstances of Pakistan. According to observations and studies, the
locals at times resent the 'aliens' because of the perception that the
locals lose out on various accounts, such as the loss of local employment,
illegal encroachments, increase in slum areas, failure of public health
programmes, health hazards (aliens are also considered responsible for
introducing diseases such as AIDS), flight of foreign exchange, unplanned
increase, and free use of utilities like electricity and water, burden on
public transport system and criminal behaviour. Trafficking is a regional concern that
needs to be faced on a priority basis. A much needed draft convention on
Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children has been
prepared by a coalition of different NGOs, political parties,
academicians, activists, lawyers and scholars at the SAARC level. The
purpose of this convention is to promote cooperation among the states of
the region so that they may deal with various aspects of the problem, and
may prevent the use of women and children in international prostitution
networks. The convention was scheduled to be signed at the SAARC Head of
the States meeting late last year, but the meeting itself was cancelled on
Indian insistence. In order to resolve this problem at the
regional level, there is a need to appoint a special reporter for
trafficking at the SAARC level. Recovery procedures also need to be
institutionalized. A study needs to be carried out on the current ground
situation, identifying catchment areas, midway stops as well as
destination points. A process of social and economic reconstruction should
also be encouraged in marginalized areas through ongoing programmes such
as literacy, child-care, poverty alleviation, health, reproductive health,
watershed management, improved agriculture technology, forestry etc. All
marriages should be registered to prevent child marriages. Governments
must ensure the convergence of most development programmes which generate
employment opportunities locally. This will reduce migration to urban
areas. Consequently, there will be a check on the
demand for prostitution in the urban areas as well as the supply from the
areas where traffickers recruit their victims. Emphasis on basic education
and land reforms to alleviate poverty should be obligatory. As reliance
upon traditional law enforcers will not be adequate, community
participation needs to be maximized, as part of neighbourhood watches,
volunteer corps, alliance between villagers, religious leaders, doctors,
child-youth-adult groups, women's groups, local leaders, parliamentarians,
media and NGOs. Electronic and print media should be sensitized to this
issue. Sensitizing the judiciary and other
authorities is another area which has not been given due attention.
Research in this area shows that all those trafficked women and children
who come to the attention of the authorities have been fortunate enough to
escape their captors and abusers, or discovered after the police raids.
They are often subjected to criminal laws or alien laws whereas the
clients and agents involved walk unscathed and need to fear no social
boycott. The victims of the trade alone face ostracism by society as are
usually manifested by society's denial of alternative modes of employment
once their background is known. According to the SAARC draft convention, state parties shall provide for the punishment of the traffickers involved in the business, directly or indirectly. We, as a regional community, have to bear the responsibility of defeating the very foundation of the problem by adopting and implementing various declarations drafted made by international organizations. At the individual level, each country may pass the required legislation or upgrade or revamp the ones already existing.
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