Child trafficking

India has a very high volume of child trafficking. As many as one child disappears every eight minutes, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.In some cases, children are taken from their homes to be bought and sold in the market. In other cases, children are tricked into the hands of traffickers by being presented an opportunity for a job, when in reality, upon arrival they become enslaved. In India, there are many children trafficked for various reasons such as labor, begging, and sexual exploitation. Because of the nature of this crime; it is hard to track; and due to the poor enforcement of laws, it is difficult to prevent.Due to the nature of this crime, it is only possible to have estimates of figures regarding the issue. India is a prime area for child trafficking to occur, as many of those trafficked are from, travel through or destined to go to India. Though most of the trafficking occurs within the country, there is also a significant number of children trafficked from Nepal and Bangladesh.There are many different causes that lead to child trafficking, with the primary reasons being poverty, weak law enforcement, and a lack of good quality public education. The traffickers that take advantage of children can be from another area in India, or could even know the child personally. Children who return home after being trafficked often face shame in their communities, rather than being welcomed home.

STOP CHILD TRAFFICKING

Causes:

Some of the root causes of child trafficking in India are: poverty, a lack of education, and the need to financially support their family.The unemployment rate in India is very high with the United Nations Development Programme estimating it to be at 3.5%. In addition to this, there are not that many financial opportunities. When children are offered work, they are likely to be exploited. Children in poverty are often forced to trade sex for a place to live or food to eat. In order to get out of poverty or to pay off debts, some parents have even been forced to sell their children to traffickers. Children are often trafficked by gangs and forced to beg on the streets.


Action against child trafficking:

Action against child trafficking in India is being taken at many levels. The central government's response can be seen at a policy level in terms of the schemes they provide, and at a legal level in the form of acts and amendments they pass. State governments have also been noted to take action to address child trafficking by making an effort to implement schemes and laws at the state-level. Any gaps in the implementation of schemes and laws are largely filled in by non-governmental organisations that work to address different aspects of this issue.