Waiting since 16 years for daughter’s return: ground report on human trafficking in the Sundarbans

Through conversations with the mothers of the girls and women victims of human trafficking from the Sundarbans, West Bengal, The Mooknayak team has attempted to document their pain. Read the report below.

Sundarbans (West Bengal)— The slogan 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' [Save the Girl Child, Educate the Girl Child] is being publicized loudly in every corner of the country. But Bimla Sodar (name changed) who lives in the SandeshKhali assembly constituency in Sundarbans block, West Bengal, has been waiting for her daughter for nearly 16 years. She does not know whether her daughter is dead or alive. Traffickers [dalals] from this area have been luring girls in large numbers under the guise of finding work for them in the cities. Later, they either sell the girls or take them into bondage.

Mother's health deteriorating as she waits

As soon as someone asks Bimla and her husband about their daughter, they start to think that the person will be able to bring her back. The couple live in the delta area of North 24 Parganas, Sundarbans, West Bengal. After their daughter's leaving, Bimla's mental health has not been good. Bimla has no other children, and her daughter was the parents' only hope and support. The couple's condition is such that they live in a house built under a government scheme, but they have their meals with a relative who lives nearby.

Only the older sister-in-law's children look out for them. The sister-in-law, who was standing next to Bimla, also spoke to The Mooknayak. She said, every day since the daughter of our house went away, we hope to hear news from somewhere that she is coming back home. Her mother's health is suffering while waiting. The father is also ruining his life by drinking day and night.

The whole village is aware of Bimla's situation, and on seeing the team they all come out to meet us. The neighbours are demanding punishment for the accused. Bimla said, "It has been 16 years now,  and I don't even know if my daughter is still alive." She alleges that those brutes would have killed her.

Storm Aila turned our lives upside down

Storm Aila ruined our whole life, continues Bimla. But for the traffickers, it was fortune-making time. For poor people like us, the traffickers were like gods at that time. Aila destroyed everything of ours. Bimla points to a kothi that is nearby and says that this is the house from where a man told us that he will find employment for our daughter in Delhi. Which will make the condition of our household all right again. At first I did not agree to it, but later considering the situation of the household, we decided to send our daughter.

"The man told us that he would send a thousand rupees every month and make us talk to our daughter on the phone. We could talk to her for a month or two after she left. But after that we have not been able to do so. We have tried many times to get information about our daughter from that man. And every time he turns us away saying, 'Your Beti is doing fine'. When we [first] became a little suspicious, we tried to complain about him to the police. But even they did not support us. Today, the situation is such that we are just left sitting here waiting for our daughter, while the trafficker has progressed by leaps and bounds, he has moved from a [small] house to a kothi," she says.

Bimla's husband works as a cleaner in a hospital and is about 50 years in age. He says that under the pretext of providing work to our daughter, a person from our village has destroyed us (killed us). He hasn't told us till today whether she is even alive or not. He should at least tell us something so that we have some reassurance. But now we have given up all hope. While he talking to us, Bimla brings out a passport-sized photograph and as she shows it to us, she says that is our last memory of her. Since then to now, how much she must have changed. I don't even know whether we will ever be able to meet her. Even my tears have run out in this unending wait for our daughter.

Another daughter returned with NGO support

There is another mother like Bimla, Savita Munda (name changed), but who was a little more fortunate. Savita's daughter has returned to her. Savita lives with one of her daughters and a grandson in a homestead made of mud in a marshy field on the banks of the river. The roof of which was just in name only, a tarpaulin sheet spread over. When it rains heavily, everything in the house gets soaked. Savita's husband has passed away. She has three daughters and a son, two daughters are married and one is currently studying in school, and the son works in Tamil Nadu. Savita catches small fish from the river, and transfers them into a [water-logged] part of the swampy field. When they have grown, she sells them. So that she can meet her expenses. Savita's situation was similar toBimla. Aila had destroyed everything. To rebuild their life, they had to resort to finding work further afield.

She tells us that a person from nearby had offered to send her daughter away for work with the assurance that it would improve the situation of the household. At that time our daughter was 15-16 years old. We agreed to his proposal and sent our daughter to work in Delhi. We were all relieved that then the situation of our household would be fine.

Doctor bought and abused the daughter

The person who had said he would find work for their daughter, he was also the one who took her. For the first two to three months, we used to get to talk to our daughter. He also sent money. But after that it seemed she left that job and started working at a doctor's. It is from there the situation began to change. Then neither were they able to talk to the daughter on the phone, nor did any money arrive. The trafficker who had suggested to them to send the daughter, he had sold her. Now our daughter became a bonded labourer. She says, "My husband went to Delhi several times in search of our daughter. There, hungry and parched, he would go searching but he could not find any trace of her. We also asked that person about her, and he would just say your daughter is doing fine. But he would not have any information about her whereabouts. We were very distressed and contacted the police. But everyone knows about the attitude of the police towards the poor. Even after going to the police several times, we did not get any information about our daughter. Finally, we approached Jaigopal Youth Development, an NGO. Someone else had also told us about them. The NGO workers approached the police and then the police interrogated the trafficker."

It was later that we came to know that our daughter has been sold to a doctor. The police immediately conducted an investigation into the matter and brought our daughter back. The doctor and his wife ran away after locking the house even before our daughter could be rescued.

Savita said, "Our daughter told us that she had been sold. After that she was subjected to both physical assaults and mental torture. She was also not given food to eat or drink properly. Now our daughter is back. Until she came back, our life had become a complete hell. We were so afraid that something bad might happen to her. Now she is back and has been married. Presently she is living in Tamil Nadu with her husband.

Traffickers Ensnare Younger girls more easily

The Mooknayak spoke to Dinabandhu Das, Director, of Jaigopal Youth Development. He said trafficking is a major problem in the Sunderbans and border areas of West Bengal. Here various devious tricks are used by the traffickers for luring. One way is that people are trafficked using the pretext of finding work for them. Sometimes girls are abducted while they are just walking on the roads. They are given drinks containing drugs, and by the time they come to their senses, they are already out of Bengal. They have also seen that many times when children appear to be troubled or worried, they are trafficked with the false promise of support. "Since the past 10-15 years, we have been helping trafficked girls return home," he explains. "We support them in every possible way. Sometimes the girls are sold off and sometimes they are enslaved to become bonded labourers. And they can even be sold to brothels without them realising what is happening."

Romance used as a ploy to ensnare young women

Regarding trafficking, even being in a romance means girls and young women can be trafficked, Dinabhandhu Das continues. Referring to one incident, he tells us they rescued a young woman who had been sold off by her boyfriend himself. These romances are deceptive traps. In which men pose as boyfriends and [pretend to]court girls and young women by chatting up to them over the phone. Later, they take the girl or young woman on a date with the promise of marriage but sell them to the traffickers who have been waiting there. He explains that these deceptions happen with girls and young women in a particular age range. Most of them are in the age range of 14-20 years. Young women and girls of this age tend to more easily fall into such traps.

Referring to the work carried out by their NGO, Das says they have rescued 360 girls in the past 10 years. Das is continuing to support people with the help of his team and the police.

What does the data tell us about human trafficking?

According to a report published in the International Institute for Environment and Development journal, the most vulnerable groups — women, children and minorities – are the ones who are most often the targets of modern-day slavery (bonded labour). This is a form of trafficking. In which people are easily lured by the promise of employment and then forced to become bonded labourers.

According to this report, around 40.3 million people globally are living a life of modern slavery. Seven per cent of these are girls/women, of which every third woman/girl is trafficked for the purpose of physical and sexual abuse. In 2016, a quarter of the 10 million girls/women living in modern slavery were under the age of 18 years. Of the 18-year-old young women, 21% had been physically abused, while 18% were being exploited as forced labourers. According to this 2020 report, every 130th female in the world is a victim of modern slavery. Men, in contrast, are enslaved for the purpose of forced labour.

99% of trafficking is for the sex industry

According to a 2019 report of the International Organization for Migration, in the context of modern slavery, 99% of women and girls are forced to work in the commercial sex industry, and 58% of women are doing other kinds of labour. Forty per cent of the victims are being forced to work by state authorities themselves, and 84% of women and girls are trafficked for marriage.

According to the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), in the coming times any person who is socially and economically vulnerable and who lacks work skills will all become victims of modern slavery.

What is modern slavery?

Dr Somnath Hajra, Economic Consultant at the International Institute for Environment and Development, and Guest Faculty in Oceanography at Jadhavpur University, told us that modern slavery in the context of the Sunderbans means luring girls and women away to big cities with the ruse of offering them work. That in the big cities work will be found for them and that they will receive [proper] wages for it. In our research, we found that modern slavery begins when the girls and women start to work after reaching the cities, Somnath Hazra says. The entire game plan of torture starts from there. Once she is there, the girl or woman becomes a bonded labourer. She can neither talk to her family members of her own free will nor can she go out anywhere on her own. Many times it also happens that if they fall ill, they are not even allowed to get medicines. In many homes, they are tortured physically and mentally. This is how in present times, under the guise of work, people are being made bonded labourers, and this is called modern slavery.

"My daughter was resourceful, so she survived"

Many girls and women are resourceful or you could say that sometimes fortune is on their side. Another mother lives in a house just behind Bimla's. Most of the people here are impoverished and live in houses built on government schemes. Savitri Munda (name changed) was very relieved to inform us that her daughter was saved from the clutches of those predators. She tells us my daughter has studied up to tenth class. That is why she realised that something wrong was going on. If my daughter had not screamed that day, today she would have been in a brothel. "My daughter was also taken from here under the ruse of finding work. For the first couple of days in Delhi, she was treated well. She was told as soon as work was found for her she would be sent there," Savitri says.

My daughter, Savitri continues, told us that it was after two days itself that they fixed the deal in which she was going to be sold. She had come to know of all of this, but she had no place where she could run away to. She waited until the time when they would leave the house. Savitri says that they were going to take my daughter to a brothel. On the way, there was a police check going on. As soon as my daughter saw the police she started crying loudly. The police became suspicious that something untoward was happening. When the police asked some questions, it became clear that she had been sold. The police immediately contacted Bengal Police and the family and arranged our daughter's return. Today my daughter is married. She is living happily with her family.

Educated but lacking skills

Tuhin Ghosh, a professor at Jadavpur University, who has been working in the Sundarbans for nearly 30 years, told us that the trafficking of girls and women has become common here. Some influential people are also involved in it. Due to which taking strict action against them becomes difficult.

With regard to the level of education and caste equation in the region, Tuhin Ghosh says that there are more Adivasi, Muslim and Dalit people here. The cottage industry and agriculture were the two main areas of work available to them. The altering weather and climate conditions has made farming difficult for the people now. As a result of which they have to take up seasonal employment.

As far as education is concerned, Tuhin Ghosh says the literacy rate in the Sundarbans region is around 90-95%. You will easily find graduate students here. But in today's technology-driven world you cannot find a good job unless you also are skilled or you have a professional degree. There is definitely education here, but it is not the kind that would help earn a living.

"The second major reason for trafficking is that most of the population in the 19 blocks live on the islands. They do not travel in and out of here much and they have little interaction with people from outside the area. Due to which they also have less knowledge of [the workings of] the outside world. The traffickers take advantage of this situation and easily lure the [people]," he explains.

If we consider the National Crime Records Bureau [NCRB] data, after corona and the lockdown, human trafficking has gone down. According to the 2018 data, Assam had the highest rate of human trafficking, with 308 reported cases. At the same time, about 172 cases were registered in West Bengal.

These figures came down in the next two years due to these reported data and an awareness campaign run by the government. According to the 2020 NCRB report, 59 cases of human trafficking were registered.

We would like to remind you that The Mooknayak team met people living in the Sandeshkhali Block 1 area of the Sundarbans. The people living here are from the Poundra and Bagri castes, which are Scheduled Castes. From the Scheduled Tribes, people belonging to the Bedia, Munda, Bhumij, Kharwar and Mahlitribes also live here.

यहाँ हिन्दी में भी पढ़ें– ग्राउंड रिपोर्ट: सुंदरवन से मानव तस्करी की गई लड़कियों की माताओं का दर्द, एक मां 16 साल से कर रही अपनी बेटी की वापसी का इंतजार

[Story Translated By Lotika Singha]