If you look deeply, ‘ Listen Draupadi! Take the weapon…’ In the poem, there is mention of both human trafficking, women’s atrocities etc. and its prevention. By making girls and women strong, they will have to develop the skills to counter the atrocities committed on them. Well, it’s a long fight. For the time being, would like to discuss the various dimensions in human trafficking.
Brick Kiln Industry is a Hub of Human Trafficking: An incident from about two decades ago. I was working in Patna those days. My college days friend who was working for BBC those days came to Patna for reporting. Naturally stayed at my house. Those who had come to cover the story did not like it. He asked me to give stories on social issues. I also did not have any immediate story.
Finally we made a plan to visit Rajgir and Nalanda. Ahead of Patna, near Didarganj, where the idol of Yakshni was found, the two friends sat drinking tea in a dhawa in front of the brick kiln. During the conversation, there was a discussion with the shopkeeper about the brick kiln. The shopkeeper quickly said that it was a mini brothel. Out of curiosity, we entered the premises of the brick kiln. Ninety percent of the working women and adolescent girls were Jharkhandi. Instead of daily wages everyone was given work on contract.
His living arrangements were hellish. In fact, they are taken to the brick kiln through brokers. Country liquor furnace was also seen in the brick kiln premises. Just as aunts are kept in brothels to control sex workers, an adult aunt was found here too. A doctor is also called for abortion. One of my relatives did not have a child, he wanted to adopt a child. I told my aunt that I want to adopt a child. His simple answer was to give time of nine months.
Later, Manvi also prepared a detailed report on the brick kiln. In order to prepare the report, we all surveyed brick kilns from Buxar in Bihar to Dhuliyan in Bengal. According to a general estimate, more than three thousand brick-kilns will be on the southern bank of the Ganges. About two hundred Jharkhandi girls are employed in a brick kiln. You yourself can get an idea of human trafficking going on on a large scale. During Madhu Koda’s tenure as Chief Minister, an incident of gang rape of Jharkhandi women took place in some brick kilns of Bihar. Madhu Koda himself went to the spot in Bihar. But even today the situation remains the same.
Unorganized sex trade and human trafficking: There are organized red light areas in the plains – Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal etc. On the other hand, there is no organized red light area in tribal-dominated areas of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh. Therefore, it is relatively difficult to make any corrective efforts in these areas. In recent years, a new conspiracy has been started by human traffickers to take them to the states of South and countries of South East Asia.
Now men and women of this area are taken by human traffickers to the cottage industries of the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh etc. He is made to work day and night by making him a bonded laborer in the workplace. Does not get proper wages and is not allowed to go home or contact the people of the house. Such incidents have come to light in the last few years. These people can be free from bondage only after the initiative of the state government.
Possible solution: It is necessary to promote the education of adolescent girls, to build Kishori-friendly villages, to make the society aware, to implement beneficial schemes in a timely and honest manner, to strengthen the institutions related to self-governance, to increase the activism of the police administration. Etcetera.
Pseudo marriage and human trafficking: Pseudo marriage and human trafficking have an unbreakable relationship. It is known that the sex ratio of girls is very low in western Uttar Pradesh, areas near Banaras, Haryana state. The brokers of that area come to Dumka district and their network is very influential in the poor rural areas of remote areas. Girls are bought in the name of marriage by giving money to their parents. Again these girls are sold in the above areas.
It is not only tribal girls who are victims of pseudo marriage. Non-tribal and Muslim girls are also included in this. After fake marriage, they are actually made bonded laborers. Their condition is like a free laborer and at the same time they become a source of entertainment for the whole family. Sexual harassment is considered common with them. Buying and selling of girls in the name of fake marriage is not only done in rural areas, but also in Dalit and poor Muslim localities of Dumka city.
Weakened village self-governance institutions and human trade:
In the past decades, the institutions related to self-governance in the villages of Dumka district – the village head and his assistants like Yog Manjhi, Nayaki etc. are continuously becoming weak. Earlier Yog Manjhi used to supervise the behavior of the boys and girls of the village. Everyone followed his instructions. But now these institutions are becoming irrelevant. There is a lot of freedom in live-in relationship and divorce in the tribal group. In such a situation only women have to bear the most harassment. Women abandoned by their husbands and their children become easy prey for businessmen. Such women will be found in most of the villages of Dumka district.
Indirect role of elite in human trafficking
Whenever there is an opportunity to participate in national or international seminars and conferences, some or the other old friends are found. Apart from discussing various issues, we also share family happiness and sorrow. Discussion of a problem comes to be heard in every seminar. ” Due to all the working people in the house, there are old parents and small children living in the house during the day. So I am requested to provide full time working girl or young woman in the house.
There is a hypothesis in his mind that Jharkhandi girl is innocent, honest and easy to reach for a young girl. As a Jharkhandi, I feel insulted, but due to long friendship, no one is able to react. All day old people watch religious serials on TV and children play games. Such a working tribal woman has no interest in both these things. Often such working girls or young women become friendly with the security guards or cleaners working in the apartment complex. Many women and teenagers even become pregnant by getting trapped in the love trap.
As soon as these incidents are known, the owner immediately removes him from the job to avoid defamation. After two-three such incidents in life, such women easily become victims of human trafficking. A few decades ago, in the name of self-employment, some voluntary organizations also used to take adolescent girls and women from Jharkhand to big cities.
Listen Draupadi! Take up arms, now Govind will not come
leave the mehndi handle
save yourself a rag
Shakuni sitting gambling
All the heads will be sold.