The Assam Government announced that it had arrested 700 human traffickers in the year 2024, The government further said that huge efforts had been taken to combat human trafficking in the state.
The police have registered over 450 cases and arrested more than 690 human traffickers, while rescuing 900 victims.
While the steps that are being taken by the Assam Government are indeed impressive, the problem remains a complex one. This is because the problem of human trafficking not only have ramifications within the state, but is inter-state coupled with an international link to it.
A thriving business
Years of neglect resulted in Assam becoming a major hub for human trafficking. This illegal trade has taken its roots across various sectors, which include agriculture, hospitality, sex trade and domestic work. Many victims had complained that they are found themselves in complex situations and faced immense exploitation and abuse. With governments in the past not taking stringent action on this issue, the victims found it extremely hard to escape from the situation that they found themselves in.
For years human traffickers have used both deceit as well as coercion to exploit women. They target women from disaster-stricken or impoverished areas. They are given false assurances such as employment or marriage before trapping them. Once the trap is set the women are forced into labour or sex trade.
Since the last two years, the Assam government has launched several operations to bring this problem down. In June last year, raids were conducted at a spa in Guwahati which led to the arrest of six persons. These persons were suspected of running a prostitution racket. Similar such raids have been conducted in various other places in Assam.
The primary focus has been on the labour sector and spas in Assam. It has been found that spas are increasingly becoming illegal fronts to further illegal activities. Such businesses have found to be using spas to facilitate prostitution and human trafficking. This shows how human traffickers have for years exploited vulnerable women.
In many cases, the women who have been involved in human trafficking have earlier been victims themselves. With the advent of digitisation, the problem has only increased. Traffickers use the internet to trap women. Websites which offer jobs have been created by this mafia through which women are trapped on the false pretext of getting them jobs or a groom. Further the problem has increased as the demand for escort services has gone up.
The government has been encouraging NGOs which help in combating this problem. Apart from rescuing the victims, the NGOs are also working closely with the government to rehabilitate these women. This is an important aspect in the fight against human trafficking. If this is not done, then there is a chance of the victim getting back to where she was rescued from.
An official in the Assam police tells Organiser that this is a major problem. In recent times, we have been seeing great results. The will of the administration is one of the key drivers behind the success. Further we are undertaking a more coordinated and comprehensive approach to tackle the menace of human trafficking, he also said.
When compared to the track record under the previous governments, the problem of human trafficking is reducing rapidly in Assam. In the year 2015, data showed that Assam alone accounted for 22 per cent of the total number of human trafficking cases in the country.
Trouble across the border
The problem of human trafficking is not limited to Assam alone. Even states like Tripura have reported this problem. The unrest in Bangladesh is adding the woes of the security agencies.
The Border Security Force (BSF) recently identified border touts as the main factor behind the rising incidents of both human trafficking and infiltration. Since the outbreak of violence in Bangladesh, cases of human trafficking have gone up, the BSF noted.
The touts are familiar with people on either sides. Moreover they mingle well with the local population especially in the bordering areas. Further they have built local connections among the political class and use them to exploit the law. People wanting to come into India from Bangladesh pay anything in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 to these touts.
Statistics reveal that the number of attempts made to indulge in human trafficking or infiltrations has increased multifold since the unrest broke out in Bangladesh. The number of Bangladeshi nationals apprehended by the BSF since the breakout of violence in Bangladesh has gone up by 50 per cent when compared to the period before that.
In December 2024, the Delhi police busted a network which was indulging in human trafficking. The probe learnt that these persons were operating the racket that connected Bangladesh, Assam and Meghalaya. This gang would bring in women from Bangladesh and force them into prostitution. The victims were rescued and traffickers arrested when they were attempting to do business in Delhi.
The main accused in the case Animul Islam is a resident of Krishna in Assam. He would use his vehicle to shuttle women across the Meghalaya-Assam border.
Statistics from 2018 say that annually 50,000 Bangladeshi women and children were trafficked into the country. The women were primarily used at urban brothels.
The BSF says that this is a major problem. There are attempts being made on a very large scale to exploit the situation in Bangladesh and then bring women into India. The touts exploit the condition of these women, whose situation has only worsened after turmoil hit Bangladesh.
