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© Kamla-Raj 2014 Anthropologist, 17(2): 591-598 (2014) Trafficking of Children for Prostitution in West Bengal: A Qualitative Study Sonal Pandey Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, India KEYWORDS Sex Trafficking. Qualitative Research. Child. Prostitution. Delinquent Behavior. West Bengal ABSTRACT The objective of the current study is to examine the context and processes of sex trafficking of children for brothel-based prostitution in West Bengal. The present paper is based on a qualitative design and thematic analysis of the primary data collected from the sex trafficked victims who have been rescued from the brothels. Four major pathways of trafficking have been identified for the children: employment induced trafficking, lure of better opportunities in the urban areas, façade of romantic relations, and run away children who easily succumb to the bait of traffickers. Based on the findings of the study certain policy recommendations have been suggested. INTRODUCTION eastern states with the southern states of the country (Sen 2004). Migration from Bangladesh, West Bengal has emerged as focal point of Nepal, and Bhutan, and within the country from activity for sex trafficking (ST) of children for the states referred to earlier, has been in exist- brothel-based prostitution in India (Deb et al. ence for long. 2011; Hameeda et al. 2010; Sen 2004). The traf- The attributes to ST are both socio-econom- ficking of children in brothel-based prostitution ic as well as accidental. The extreme poverty con- has assumed serious proportions in the state of ditions often lead women and children to explore West Bengal (India) at the interstate as well as livelihood where they become easy prey to traf- intrastate level and across the porous interna- fickers who trap them in their interest by making tional borders. The districts of South and North false promises of comfortable livelihood. In acci- 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Malda, Dar- dental or situational trafficking, women and chil- jeeling, Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri and Uttar Dina- dren leave their families in protest to emotional jpur, Howrah, Midnapore, and Birbhum have been breakdown to regular impalpable hurting com- identified as potential supply centres of ST in ments or sarcastic remarks, broken close rela- Bengal (Chakraborty 2006). The state shares in- tionship including loving relations. Low level of ternational borders with Nepal, Bangladesh, and literacy is another facilitating factor for ST in Bhutan, and has the state borders with Sikkim, Bengal, for its debilitating effect on potential vic- Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Assam. The traf- tims who fail to read between the lines and un- fickers effectively capitalize on the contiguous derstand the real motives of traffickers. Despite borders with these countries for trafficking wom- Sarba Siksha Karyakram (movement for educa- en and children to adjoining places. Kolkata, the tion to all), the status of girl’s enrolment in schools capital city of the state, is not only the trade, and the ratio of drops-out in comparison to male industrial and cultural hub of eastern India, but children continues to be a matter of concern. also serves as the centre connecting the north- Gender discrimination, location of schools at far distances, adverse students-teachers ratio, in- different attitude of teachers, recruitment of Address for correspondence: teachers on political consideration, lack of school Sonal Pandey infrastructure, engagement of girls in domestic Senior Research Fellow Department of Humanities and Social Sciences works and sibling care are some of the stumbling Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur blocks for girls in accessing education West Bengal 721302, India (Chakraborty 2006). A considerable portion of Telephone: +91 3222 281770 (O) trafficking also occurs in guise of employment Fax: +91 3222 282270/255303 E-mail: [email protected], and marriage (Ghosh 2009). The persistence of [email protected]. extreme poverty, low level of education, maternal 592 SONAL PANDEY mortality, and maternal malnutrition are the im- or of the giving or receiving of payments or ben- portant factors that have contributed to the high efits to achieve the consent of a person having incidence of child marriage in the state. The first control over another person, for the purpose of generation victims turned traffickers entice the exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a teenagers from the villages presenting herself minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of before them as a role model. The girls already others or other forms of sexual exploitation, engaged in the prostitution in Mumbai from the forced labour or services, slavery or practices state, have also been found coming back to their similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of hometowns to take more girls and force them into organs (Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Pun- prostitution, sometimes even with the consent ish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women of their parents (Sen 2004). Furthermore, lan- and Children, Supplementing the United Na- guage also acts as a potent facilitator in perpetu- tions Convention Against Transnational Orga- ating trafficking from across the borders. It is nized Crime 2000).” almost difficult to detect the presence of foreign The term ‘child’ is used as defined by United traffickers and trafficked victims, as most of them Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child are well conversant with the language of the state. Article 1 as “every human being below the age Bengali-the language of the state is also, the lan- of 18 years unless, under the law applicable to guage of Bangladesh, which camouflages the the child, majority is attained earlier” (UNICEF identity of the Bangladeshi nationals in West 1989). Bengal. “Victim” denotes someone who has been the The objective of the study is to examine the victim of a crime and does not refer to the per- factors propelling the trafficking of children for son’s agency or any other characteristics brothel-based prostitution in the state. (Bnunovskis and Surtees 2012). Terms and Definition METHODOLOGY Analyses of adult sex work are fiercely con- The present paper is based on a qualitative tested and there is a wide-ranging debate about design and thematic analysis of the primary data terminology, levels of control, and the nature of collected from ST victims who have been res- sex work (Montogemory 2009). The global stance cued from the brothels by the Child Welfare Com- seems divided on sex work yielding dichotomous mittee (CWC) Kolkata and placed at different rubric. The Abolitionist framework views all pros- Non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Re- titution as exploitative, violative of women’s search on ST victims in brothel establishments rights and dignity, and advocates unequivocally is a challenging task, as identifying and reach- for its abolition as an effective remedy. While, ing them, is a very troublesome and problematic the second perspective argues for choice in the instigating risk of various kinds to the research- rights domain considering it as a source of earn- er as well as the subjects. Reaching such co- ing or a viable livelihood option consciously horts via support service providers was the best made on the part of a female. They demand state plausible solution as it became convenient to patronage to prostitution industry and are approach as well as persuade them to share their against abolition of sex industry. Drawing upon experiences as victims find it difficult to confide the abolitionist framework, for the purpose of to a stranger. Social workers mediated this dis- current research, all kinds of sex work is referred trust and facilitated rapport building. Part of the to as trafficking as per the recent United Nations data was also collected using anthropological Protcol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Traf- tenet of ‘key informants’. Key informants for this ficking in Persons, Especially Women and Chil- study were the NGOs’ personnel’s, and counse- dren, 2000 (here after referred to as Palermo Pro- lors and other stakeholders who provided major tocol). The definition of the trafficking as en- insights on the phenomenon of trafficking of shrined in Article 3 (a) is: children in the state. “The recruitment, transportation, transfer, Sanlaap is a specialist NGO dedicated to the harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of protection of children trafficked into ST. It has the threat or use of force or other forms of coer- four shelter houses for survivors of ST in and cion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the around Kolkata, as well as numerous drop-in- abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability centres in red light areas. This research was con- TRAFFICKING OF CHILDREN FOR PROSTITUTION IN WEST BENGAL 593 ducted at the Narenrdrapur shelter home just retrospective study of the victims, which may be outside Kolkata. The Mahima Aftercare Home is equally meaningful, if not more. The study was another specialist organization working in the designed in the backdrop of the WHO ethical area of victim protection and assistance. The and safety recommendations for interviewing traf- major activities of the Mahima Home includes, ficked women (Zimmerman and Watts 2003). but are not limited to accomplish rehabilitation Moreover, ethical approval for the study was of the child ST victims through structure, coun- obtained from the superintendent of the shelters seling, education, vocational training, and spiri- and the ethical review board of Indian Institute tual development. Thirty respondents were iden- of Technology Kharagpur (India). The study, tified for the study. All of the respondents were thus, involved retrospective qualitative analy- trafficked for brothel-based prostitution. Major- sis of information collected through qualitative ity of the victims were Indian nationals (n=25) interviews. while five were Bangladeshi nationals. The age The data were collected from the inmates of of the girls fell in the range of 15-23 years.