By Nishat Shuja

Human trafficking is a horrendous crime that is rampant in the world. It has moved to the forefront of international concerns because of the gravity of this crisis. There are various mechanisms in international law for the prevention of human trafficking such as the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women) and CRC (Convention on the rights of child). These two instruments aid in the prevention of Women and Child trafficking because they are the most vulnerable victims of the crime.

South Asia is no exception to this. Women are being trafficked and smuggled across the borders. The case in point is the trafficking of women from Bangladesh to India. There are trafficking syndicates operating inside Bangladesh and India who are involved in the sex trade and forced prostitution. Even though both India and Bangladesh are signatories to CEDAW and CRC, these two conventions are not binding in nature. Signing these conventions is not enough if they cannot be implemented by the states.

Bangladeshi women are lured into this network by promising them jobs and a better life in India. From Bangladesh, they are trafficked to Bangalore, India. An alarming thing is the use of social media like TikTok to lure innocent women. In 2021, a trafficker was captured who went by the username “Hayday Babu” on TikTok. He used to make TikTok videos in Bangladesh and invite people to pool parties. From there he would trap women by giving them false hopes of better jobs in India. Upon arriving in India, they would be forced into sexual servitude and forced labor. The traffickers used to move from Bangladesh’s Vomra port to enter India through Gocchadhanga.

These women were issued fake Indian citizenship documents and Adhaar cards to show them as Indian citizens. There is a possibility of involvement of political elites in aiding and abetting women trafficking because this is not possible at such a scale without help from those in power.

Right around the time when Hayday Babu was captured, pornographic videos made it to the internet in which these smuggled women were physically and sexually tortured. The women who were trafficked from Bangladesh were forced into the pornography industry as well. The issue is so grave in nature that it cannot be handled by one state. It has to be a combined effort of India and Bangladesh. Both states have signed a Memorandum of understanding on the Bilateral Cooperation for the prevention of human trafficking. It is not enough. There have to be active efforts to deal with this humanitarian crisis.

In recent news, three traffickers were arrested in January 2022 who were involved in this heinous crime. The rescue team found two women who were forced to work in an Indian brothel. They were placed in a government shelter home. Similarly, three women were rescued a month after this incident from Ahmedabad. Their trafficker was also arrested who brought them to India from Bangladesh illegally.

The India-Bangladesh porous border issue is already responsible for illegal migration and illicit drug trade. India always blames Bangladesh for illegally sending people to India. The Indian government blurs the distinction between these illegal migrants and trafficked women. This mistake lets the government try these trafficked women under illegal migrant laws, leaving them at the expense of lazy and incompetent bureaucracy. The smuggled women have to stay in shelter homes for years before they can finally be repatriated to their own country. For this purpose, the bureaucratic process needs to be simplified to allow speedy repatriation of the victims. To treat this issue right from where it starts, both states need to cooperate on border management. Instead, both countries blame the other for allowing the trafficking syndicates to operate in their respective territories.

India is both the destination and the transit route for women and child trafficking. From India, they can be trafficked to Gulf states for similar inhumane purposes. Since this is a humanitarian issue, it should be dealt with accordingly. India and Bangladesh should not indulge in a blame game and join hands to combat women trafficking. Furthermore, they need to crack down on prostitution syndicates in their respective countries to locate their hideouts and places of operation.

Social media sites are the easiest way to target and lure women by promising them jobs in beauty parlors and cafes. Once they arrive in the destination country, they are subjected to physical and sexual assault that traumatizes them for life. They are then forced into sexual slavery and the porn industry without their consent. Some videos get viral on the internet in which these women are shown to be beaten, tortured, and raped. The pornographic industry cashes on these vulnerable trafficked women. This issue is not exclusive in itself, it is connected to extortion rackets and prostitution syndicates. They operate under false aliases so they cannot be exposed.

If women trafficking is to be curbed, both states will have to cooperate on various fronts. They need a joint patrolling system on their mutual border, and a system of information sharing between both parties to work effectively. If they withhold crucial information from each other, it will only allow the traffickers to operate freely.