Tag Archives: West Bengal

Mar25

Girl sold, raped and rescued

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Girl Sold and Raped

DEVESH PANDEY IN THE HINDU

The long journey of Debyani (name changed) from her village in the Burdwan district of West Bengal to Delhi and then to Bharatpur in Rajasthan is a saga of a minor girl who was kidnapped by traffickers and sold off for forced marriage and then subjected to continuous physical and sexual abuse for the past four years. The girl, who has now been rescued, is the mother of two children.

On the pretext of getting her employed as a domestic help, a fellow villager had one day taken Debyani along to a place where she was handed over to a trafficker four years ago. It was two years after she went missing that the local police registered a specific case on the basis of a complaint lodged by her father who raised suspicion about the complicity of a girl named Sulekha.Police investigations revealed that she was handed over to a person named Kalu Sheikh, who sold her off for a paltry sum. She was then forcibly married to a resident of Deeg village of Bharatpur in Rajasthan. “About a year ago, the investigating officer tracked her down and rescued her. He also arrested Kalu Sheikh. The girl had by then become the mother of two children. Surprisingly, she was escorted back to West Bengal by some villagers. In her judicial statement, she claimed that she had fled on her own as her parents wanted to push her into prostitution. As a result, the accused was released on bail and the girl was taken back to Rajasthan,” said a West Bengal police officer.

It was after the victim’s family moved habeas-corpus petition in the High Court that an Anti-Human Trafficking Unit team led by Inspector Sarbari Bhattacharya was directed to probe the matter. The officer discovered that the case had been closed. She got it reopened and in coordination with non-government organisation Shakti Vahini reached Bharatpur.

“The moment the girl saw the Bengali-speaking woman officer, she clung onto her pleading to take her back home. She even forgot to take her elder son along and wanted to leave immediately. She kept crying, alleging that she was sold off and subjected to torture,” said Rishi Kant, who was part of the rescue team.The police officer made enquiries and found that a woman named Rakhi from West Bengal, who had settled down there 20 years ago, lived in the neighbourhood. “During questioning, she disclosed that she had bought the victim from her relative Kalu Sheikh. Her brother had tortured the victim so much that she still dreads him.”

Realising that it was purely a case of human trafficking, the officer decided to rescue the girl along with her two children and arrested Rakhi. “However, it will be difficult for us to now track down Kalu Sheikh and Sulekha…there are umpteen number of cases were girls and women from West Bengal are being trafficked to places like Delhi and being pushed into prostitution, forced labour and marriage. But we come across officers who do not realise the gravity of the problem and treat the victims as just ‘poor Bengalis’,” said a West Bengal Police officer.

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Aug17

ONE GIRL FROM WEST BENGAL RESCUED FROM G.B. ROAD : BROUGHT TO DELHI BY LURING HER OF MARRIAGE

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PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) A 19-year-old girl from West Bengal, who was lured to the capital by a youth on pretext of marriage but was sold to a prostitution ring, was rescued from the redlight area in central Delhi, police said today. The girl from South-24 Paragana was rescued from G B Road yesterday on a tip off provided by an NGO ‘Shakti Vahini’ after the victim’s father approached them, Devesh Srivastava, Additional Commissioner of Police (Central), said.

DELHI POLICE PRESS RELEASE DATED 17.08.2012
PRESS RELEASE                                               CENTRAL DISTRICT
ONE GIRL FROM WEST BENGAL RESCUED FROM G.B. ROAD : BROUGHT TO DELHI BY LURING HER OF MARRIAGE

On 16-08-2012, one girl aged about19 years was rescued from GB Road by the police staff of P.S. Kamla Market, Central District, Delhi with the help of ‘Shakti Vahini’, an NGO.

INCIDENT AND TEAM

On 16-08-2012, one person in distress belonging to District Sarisapara, District South 24 Pargana, West Bengal along with a representative of Shakti Vahini, NGO approached SHO/ Kamla Market and stated that his daughter namely Sangeeta (name changed), aged about 19 years was missing from District South 24 Pargana, West Bengal. A case vide u/s 363/366A/373 IPC was registered at P.S. Usthi 24 Pargana West Bengal in this regard. He further stated that she is confined at Kotha No- 59, IInd Floor, G.B. Road, Delhi against her wishes and desires to be freed from there.  This information was further developed. After developing the intelligence, a team comprising of Inspr. Parmod Joshi, SHO/Kamla Market, Inpsr. Binod Kumar, ATO/Kamla Market, SI Ajay Singh, H.C. Baljeet and W/Ct. Sarita was constituted under the close supervision of  Sh. Ram Kumar, ACP/Kamla Market. The representative of NGO ‘Shakti Vahini’ was also associated with the team.Thereafter, in late evening of 16.08.2012, a raid was conducted at Kotha No. 59, IInd Floor, GB Road, Delhi and the missing girl Sangeeta (name changed) aged about 19 years was rescued by the police team of PS Kamla Market, Central District, Delhi.   An intimation has been given to P.S. Usthi 24 Pargana West Bengal in this regard. Further investigation/interrogation is in progress.

 INVESTIGATION

During investigation, the rescued girl stated that she belonged to a poor family. She is illiterate. She was lured by one boy on the pretext of marrying her and brought to Delhi.  But instead of marrying her, the boy sold the girl at Kotha No. 59, IInd Floor, G.B. Road, Delhi.  The girl is being produced before CWC, Delhi for taking further course of legal action.

(DEVESH CHANDRA SRIVASTVA), IPS
ADDL. COMMISSIONER OF POLICE,
CENTRAL DISTRICT, DELHI

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Jun21

Trafficked girl rescued

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TIMES OF INDIA

NEW DELHI: A minor girl was rescued from south Delhi after she alleged that she was sexually and physically assaulted by a trafficker. The girl was produced before Child Welfare Committee, which asked Delhi Police to register a case. The 17-year-old girl is a native of Tony Soong village, Darjeeling. On Tuesday, she was rescued by cops and NGO Shakti Vahini from Vasant Gaon, where she was provided temporary shelter by a Nepali family. “The girl was brought to Delhi four months ago on the pretext of marriage. The girl was being sexually and physically assaulted by the trafficker at Munirka,” said the CWC order. “To save her life, the girl ran away and was given protection by a family in Vasant Gaon,” the order adds. CWC noted that the girl was duped by a friend who gave her the number of one Satyanarayan from Siliguri. “According to the minor, her friend had given her the number of Satyanarayan. She left Darjeeling and went to Siliguri alone. After meeting Satyanarayan, they came to Delhi,” the order said. “The girl along with Satyanarayan was living in Munirka. After a week, Satyanarayan started exploiting her physically and sexually.” the order further stated.

TIMES OF INDIA

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Jun12

Raids on trains from east and northeast to curb Girl Trafficking

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DWIPAYAN GHOSH IN THE TIMES OF INDIA

NEW DELHI: The rescue of seven girls from West Bengal, after a raid on March 16 in various placement agencies in northwest Delhi and the subsequent rescue of several girls from four other states of India in May from the red-light areas of the Capital has led the Delhi Police to begin a 24-hour check on various trains arriving from Bengal, Jharkhand and the entire northeast.

These raids – without prior information – were first mooted by the NGOs. The Delhi Police has decided to hold talks with their Kolkata counterparts on the issue. The NGOs working against child trafficking have long been demanding a more “proactive and joint” action from the cops of all states.

“I have instructed by GRP staff to keep an eye on each of the children in some specific trains from east, northeast and south India. The whole idea is to ensure we nab the traffickers and rescue the children before they get mingled with the city’s population making it all the more difficult to nab and rescue them,” said Sanjay Bhatia, additional DCP (railways).

According to a reply to a Lok Sabha question, filed by the state crime records bureau on March 15 this year, a total of 7917 minor girls were “untracked” till 2011 from across India and believed to be in capital. Similarly, 3311 minor boys are missing from West Bengal alone, while another 2149 adult females were untracked till the end of last year.

When contacted, an officer of Kolkata CID department said they had begun random checks on trains leaving for the Capital. “We have started the exercise about a month back. But I have no qualms in admitting that the drive has not been satisfactory so far. Only a greater coordination with Delhi, UP and Jharkhand police can control this menace,” said an officer.

Cops in Kolkata and Delhi said they had zeroed in on two persons identified as Raj and Raju, who operate from the railway stations in and around Kolkata. A Delhi police team will be in the city soon to coordinate with Kolkata Police and nab the duo.

Sources in Delhi Police Anti Human Trafficking Unit said the girls, mostly, assemble at the Sealdah, Howrah, Guwahati and Ranchi railway stations and board trains like the Poorva Express, Kalka Mail and even Toofan Express and Jharkhand SK Express.

“This year alone, we have identified over a hundred cases of women trafficking from North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Malda and Coochbehar. We have over 500 untraced cases in last few years. We are also on the lookout for groups of girls arriving suspiciously in these trains at the New Delhi and Old Delhi stations. However, such raids have their limitations and constraints. Hence, we are still working on the finer details of carrying out these surprise checks,” said an AHTU official.

Shakti Vahini coordinator Rishi kant, who has been working on the issue for several years, said: “There are over 10,000 children missing from east India according to data provided in the Parliament last year most of whom use the rail network. We want cops to note down addresses of the girls arriving in the Capital for jobs. They can then check these addresses to find if those are genuine. Strict action against dubious agencies, which sell these girls in Haryana as brides, should be taken.”

DWIPAYAN GHOSH IN THE TIMES OF INDIA

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Jun12

Most rescued childeren are never rehabilitated

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Most rescued childeren are never rehabilitated

Most rescued childeren are never rehabilitated

PRERNA SODHI IN THE TIMES OF INDIA

NEW DELHI: The teenage help who was rescued from a Dwarka apartment in March is now enrolled in a school in Jharkhand. She has received her wage arrears, besides support from the state. But hers is an exceptional story of rehabilitation. Experts say most trafficked children, even when rescued, lead bleak lives.

Take the case of two girls — aged 12 and 13 — who were brought to Delhi a year ago and sexually assaulted at a placement agency. After their rescue, they were sent to a shelter home in West Bengal, and have not received any significant help.

Experts say care and aid are lavished on victims only after their cases grab media attention. Generally, though, rescued children get trapped in procedural hurdles. The luckier ones are ‘reunited’ with their families but not rehabilitated and, occasionally, children even slip back into the hands of traffickers.

Rishikant, an activist from NGO Shakti Vahini, said, “We get many complaints and some of the offences are grave. The state machinery moves when a case gets highlighted. In most cases, the child welfare committees (CWCs) merely dump the children back home without follow-up,” he said. The chairperson of the Lajpat Nagar CWC said, “Reuniting does not mean rehabilitation.” Shakti Vahini claims that of the 200 children it rescued last year, none has been properly rehabilitated.

In most cases, delays occur due to poor inter-state coordination. “The authorities here are not so concerned as 90% of the cases are from other states. Their attitude is that the other state has to take care of them,” said CWC chairperson Raaj Mangal Prasad. It is also observed that the CWCs of the other states are not so zealous in their work.

Rishi Kant, another Shakti Vahini member, said this hampers follow-up action. “The CWC might pass orders in the city and, to an extent, also recover children’s due wages, but it becomes difficult to follow up on a case on a day-to-day basis.” He suggests that the labour department should act as an intermediary between source states and cities from where children are rescued.

The director for policy and research at Child Rights and You (CRY), Vijaylakshmi Arora, said lack of manpower is another important hurdle in rehabilitation. “If you go to the district level or the CWCs, you don’t find much manpower. It is usually one man taking care of 50 cases. That ratio has to be improved.”

Arora said a system needs to be in place to track each and every child’s case separately “as each child’s case is different and the factors for trafficking are different. This will also keep tabs on children who have been re-trafficked; at present there is no system to monitor that.”

While lack of manpower and poor interstate coordination hinder the process of rehabilitation, Prasad said transferring the monitoring of child labour to the department of women and child development will help. “The Child Labour Act that falls under the labour department does not look into the rehabilitation of a child; this is done by the Juvenile Justice Act that is the responsibility of the department of women and child development,” he said, adding, “Shifting the child labour issue to them would speed up the process”.

PRERNA SODHI IN THE TIMES OF INDIA

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Jun12

Anti-child labour cells need support

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‘Anti-child labour cells need support’

‘Anti-child labour cells need support’

INDRANI BASU IN THE TIMES OF INDIA

NEW DELHI: Anti-child labour laws and their strict implementation have not been able to contain the problem of child trafficking in the city. Children are still being trafficked from states like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Assam to work in factories and households in inhuman conditions.

Industrial estates like Okhla, Wazirpur and Jhilmil Colony see a number of such children steadily working when they are guaranteed free education under the Right to Education Act.

While Delhi Police’s anti-human trafficking cell is over a year old now, and has helped rescue child labourers, there are several areas that need to be worked upon.

Ravi Kant, Supreme Court advocate who is conducting a study on several such cells in Delhi and across the country said, “There is no convergence between the ministry of women and child welfare and these cells and both agencies are working in isolation. The ministry needs to support the work of the police.” Kant’s study will form the India Country Assessment Report for the ministry of home affairs.

“While district level sensitization is going on, the justice delivery system needs to be strengthened. The legal aid system does not properly support the victims right now as the victims have to travel between states and testify in a court. While the travel expenditure is taken care of by the court, the state does nothing to ensure their accommodation,” he said. Many times, the victims and their families do not show up in court due to social stigma. “There is need to conduct these cases over video conferencing to encourage victims to testify. Right now, employers are not getting convicted in a lot of cases because of this,” he added.

Activists also say that the creation of these cells have helped the process of rescue of child labourers. Till April-end this year, 34 cases of child labour have been reported and 149 such children rescued. In 2011, 135 cases were reported and 1,144 children rescued.

Activists say that responsive nodal officers have helped them crack down on employers faster. Increase in registration of cases of missing children is a positive step in this regard. “Each of these state cells are given Rs 35 lakhs per year and a jeep to help them in raids. Video cameras have been provided by MHA for detailed recording of these rescue operations,” said Rishi Kant of NGO Shakti Vahini.

Currently, the cell in each district is headed by one inspector with sufficient number of upper subordinates and supporting staff. “In case of any organized trafficking racket that comes to notice, instructions are that the probe of that case shall be transferred to Anti-Kidnapping section of the Crime Branch for further necessary action,” explained a senior police officer.

While 33 persons – including 22 women – have been arrested under the immoral trafficking (prevention) act already this year, 121 such persons were arrested last year

 INDRANI BASU IN THE TIMES OF INDIA

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Jun4

Brother scripts girls rescue from brothel

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DNA INDIAN

Trapped in the usual lure of matrimony, Samina ( name changed) came to the city with Avijit Mali (23) in mid-May. But what followed the rendezvous was the bitter reality of being a victim of a prostitution racket. The story of Samina (name changed) is an unusual one in this usual plot, as her rescue plan was scripted by her own brother and successfully executed by her cousin, who posed as a decoy, and aided by the Thane Crime Branch. Rescued from Kalwa during the wee hours on Saturday, Samina is due to be handed over to the Kolkata police on Monday.

“Having registered the offence with the Barsat police in the Pargana district of West Bengal, Samina’s father and brother came searching for her and got in touch with us. Our team laid a trap with a decoy, got in touch with the girl from whose phone Samina had called clandestinely, and eventually rescued her,” said inspector Madan Manohar Ballal of the Thane crime branch.

DNA spoke to Samina’sSamaritan, who did not wish to be named but braved to recollect the family’s trauma of having almost lost her forever. Just 16, Samina fell prey to the pleasantries of her phone friend Mali and started meeting him. Having gained her confidence after a few meetings, Mali allegedly spiked her tea when she met him on May 17.According to Samina, upon coming to her senses she remembered nothing about how she landed in Mumbai. owever, soon Samina understood Mali’s intention and began protesting his demand of attending customers. The expected result was brutal physical torture and unbearable mental assault.

“Usko bahut maara uss ladke aur dalal ne. Itna daag hai uske shareer par ki koi bhi ro dega dekh kar (That boy Mali and the pimp thrashed her leaving upteen number of scars on her body) ,” said her cousin. Giving a recap of her two weeks of horror he said, “A call as customer on the girl whose phone Samina used helped. When we asked her to get a new girl she mentioned Samina, citing her refusal to attend customers.

It was clear that she knew where she was. However, we still met her with another where the police nabbed her and got details of the pimp Dharmendra who operated the racket out of Vipul lodge in Kalyan.”

Dharmendra turned out to be a hard nut to crack, but after misleading us for long he finally led us to the place where Samina was being held,” added Ballal.

“The girl has been kept in the remand home until she undergoes her medical before being allowed to go back home,” said Sharad Barse from Child Line.

Apr26

Violation of Child Labour Act

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Wasim, a child labourer, works at a tea stall ...

Wasim, a child labourer, works at a tea stall in Indore, India. His work is to serve tea/coffee and wash glasses and other utensils.He received daily pay. He is able to read and write, having attended school in the past. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HUMAN TRAFFICKING INDIA IS A SHAKTI VAHINI – NATIONAL LEGAL RESEARCH  DESK INITIATIVE

The Union Labour & Employment Minister Shri Mallikarjun Kharge has informed the Rajya Sabha  that as per 2001 census, the total number of working children between the age group 5-14 years in the country was 1.26 crore. However, as per NSSO survey 2009-10, the working children are estimated at 49.84 lakh which shows declining trend. Under Section 3 of the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986, prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in 18 Occupations and 65 Processes. Any person who employs a child in any occupation or process where employment of children is prohibited under the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, is liable for punishment with imprisonment for term which shall not be less than 3 months but which may extend to one year or with fine ranging from Rs.10,000/- to Rs.20,000/-. States/UT Governments are appropriate Government for implementation of the Child Labour(Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 in the areas comes under their jurisdiction . As per the available information State-wise prosecution launched during 2010 & 2011 is as per Annexure-I.  The Minister was replying to a written question whether it is a fact that some State Governments could not prevent the increasing number of child labour and whether Government has instructed the State Governments to take stringent action against those who violates Child Labour Act; and the State-wise details thereof and the total number of casesbooked under this act last year?

State-wise data  on Prosecution

State

No. of Prosecution
  2010 2011
Andmn&Nico I. U.T. NA NA
Andhra Pradesh 74 NA
Arunachal Pradesh NA NA
Assam 6 NA
Bihar 632 576
Chandigarh    U.T. 33 Nil
Chhattisgarh 62 NA
Dadra & Nagar H. U.T. NA NA
Daman & Diu U.T. Nil Nil
Delhi U.T. 313 2
Goa Nil Nil
Gujarat 112 71
Haryana 210 82
Himachal Pradesh 22 44
Jammu & Kashmir 22 42
Jharkhand 14 NA
Karnataka 479 232
Kerala NA NA
Lakshadweep UT Nil Nil
Madhya Pradesh 5772 170*
Maharashtra 25 11
Manipur

4
Meghalaya NA 2
Mizoram Nil Nil
Nagaland Nil Nil
Orissa 21 397
Pondicherry   U.T. Nil 10
Punjab 654 251
Rajasthan 18 38
Sikkim NA NA
Tamil Nadu 38 26
Tripura

1(1997-2011)
Uttar Pradesh 356 NA
Uttaranchal 2 5
West Bengal Nil 8
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Apr4

A trip to a part of Bengal where humans are bought and sold everyday

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KISHALAYA BHATACHARJEE IN NDTV

Kolkata:  It takes about two hours by road and then a boat to reach Sandeshkhali, an island in the Sunderbans. This area is infamous for the conflict between its residents and tigers. Now, it has a bigger problem to contend with – human trafficking.

In a reply to a Lok Sabha question on missing people last month, the Minister of State for Home Affairs shared some shocking data from across the country. In the last one year, 14,000 adults and children have disappeared from West Bengal. Most of them are believed to have been swallowed up by the huge trafficking trade that is accustomed to treating West Bengal as its catchment area.

The statistics shared by the government: More than 8000 girls have disappeared, another 5500 males have also been reported missing by their families.

Buyers refer to villages like Sandeshkhali as “a source area.”  In the last 10 years, virtually every household has a mother waiting for a daughter to return. Sandeshkhali was devastated by cyclone Aila in 2009. The natural disasters in this area have left it ravaged physically and emotionally. The region has been drenched in poverty for years. That makes it vulnerable to any offer that promises money, even if it entails sending young children to far away cities.

A mother talks to us about her 16-year-old daughter who left home six years ago when she was promised a job in Hyderabad. The family was told by the middlemen who collected the teen that a part of her salary would be sent home every month. They have never heard from their daughter after that. “They took her for a year but Durga Puja came, Kali Puja came… year after year passed but she never returned,” says the woman in a small thatched house. She has four children including two girls at home with her still. Their monthly income is Rs.1000 – an amount that means when the next buyer arrives, it may not be possible to turn him down.

Remote villages like this one have an established kingpin – in this case, a man named Hari – who serves as the middleman between families here and those in cities who will sell the women into prostitution or to agencies that supply domestic help. When confronted, Hari threatened us and tried to take our camera away. Hari sells the girls to the nearest town. From there, they are traded several times over before they arrive in big cities. Those who are not sold to brothels end up with employment agencies who supply domestic help to homes in Delhi. Many agencies ensure they collect the salaries from employers, ensuring that the help receives no money. Without any resources in a strange and large city, there are few ways to return home or seek help for a better living.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has directed state governments to set up special Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in every district. In West Bengal this initiative was meant to begin three years ago. Each unit is supposed to have a minimum of five persons equipped with camera, cellphones and a vehicle. The need for these cells was felt after a report by the National Human Rights Commission which said in 2006 that nearly 45,000 children go missing every year in India.

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Mar28

Raids on trains to curb trafficking to check trafficking

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DWIPAYAN GHOSH IN TIMES OF INDIA

KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: The rescue of seven girls from West Bengal, after a raid on March 16 in various placement agencies in northwest Delhi and the red-light areas of the Capital, has led the Delhi Police to begin a 24-hour check on various trains arriving from Kolkata.

These raids – without prior information – were first mooted by the NGOs. The Delhi Police has decided to hold talks with their Kolkata counterparts on the issue. The NGOs working against child trafficking have long been demanding a more “proactive” approach from the cops of two states.

According to a reply to a Lok Sabha question, filed by the state crime records bureau on March 15 this year, a total of 7917 minor girls were “untraced” till 2011. Similarly, 3311 minor boys are missing from West Bengal, while another 2149 adult females were untraced till the end of last year.

When contacted, an officer of Kolkata CID department said they had begun random checks on trains leaving for the Capital. “We have started the exercise about a month back. But I have no qualms in admitting that the drive has not been satisfactory so far. Only a greater coordination with Delhi, UP and Jharkhand police can control this menace,” said an officer. Cops in Kolkata and Delhi said they had zeroed in on two persons identified as Raj and Raju, who operate from the railway stations in and around Kolkata. A Delhi police team will be in the city soon to coordinate with Kolkata Police and nab the duo.

Sources in Delhi Police Anti Human Trafficking Unit said the girls, mostly, assemble at the Sealdah and Howrah railway stations and board Poorva Express, Kalka Mail and even Toofan Express. “This year alone, we have identified over a hundred cases of women trafficking from North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Malda and Coochbehar. We have over 500 untraced cases in last few years. We are also on the lookout for groups of girls arriving suspiciously in these trains at the New Delhi and Old Delhi stations. However, such raids have their limitations and constraintsHence, we are still working on the finer details of carrying out these surprise checks,” said additional DCP (crime) Joy Tirkey.

NGO coordinator Rishi Kant ( Shakti Vahini), who has been working on the issue for several years, said: “There are over 10,000 children missing from West Bengal according to data provided in the Parliament last year. We want cops to note down addresses of the girls arriving in the Capital for jobs. They can then check these addresses to find if those are genuine. Strict action against dubious agencies, which sell these girls in Haryana as brides, should be taken.”

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