The business of marriage matching or bride trade (trafficking) is not different from sex trafficking because it treats women as a commodity to be sold to some unknown men and their purpose is not to find lifetime loving partners but to arrange a wife to be treated as a sex object, domestic worker and all-around slave. And the most painful part of the whole bride business is that it is also a new form of child marriage which has emerged in a wide scale. Bride-Trafficking systematically violates women’s human rights including the rights to life and security of persons. It places women in ganger of physical abuse and deprives them of bodily integrity. they are kept in villages or form houses and prevented from leaving or even communicating with their families back home. Their freedom from slavery and abuse is violated as a trafficked bride becomes the slave of the man who “buys” her. The young women who are mainly sold off as brides and brought to Haryana-Punjab are being used as sex slave are called “Paro” or “Molki”. It has also been found that theses women are also being used as farm worker and are being sexually abused and resold to other man that again provide a market for trafficking of women. As per the National Crime Record Bureau Report more than 22,000 girl children were kidnapped for marriage in 2012. The 2013 report commissioned by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has reported that the organized trafficking rackets have started operating in North Indian states.
The understanding of administration on women trafficking in the name of marriage is quite narrow. These kinds of imports and trafficking in the name of poor background and pitiable conditions are given moral acceptance. It is constantly observed that girls from the poverty stricken area and the tribal belts of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and sourthern part of India like Andhra Pradesh and kerala are the main target of this business. Nepalies and Bangladeshi girls are also lured by traffickers
It was resulted in a study of EMPOWER PEOPLE, parents (of victims) are victims of fraud. The poor parents marry their daughters to the "dilliwalahs' because they do not ask for dowry. However this kind of marriages are not considered socially respectable in the source area and more often regarded as "thug vivah' (fake marriage) or Gurjara maduve (gujjar marriage). In very few cases parents are seen selling their girls for few bucks. a large number of girls are abducted or runaway with her boyfriends. We are working in destination and source areas of bride trafficking, not only on rescue and rehabilitation but also working on pushing factors of trafficking, poverty alivation, creation of employment, engaging landless and small landhonding communities with market-led livelihoods intervention for farm-based products like lemongrass, banana, paddy, Tomato, Potato and medicinal plants. we are also promoting Gender equality at grassroot level, working on domestic violence, honor crimes, issues related to dowry and share of daughter in Inheritance.
Training for Local NGOs,CBOs as well as stake holders at grassroots level Networking & campaign for cause of Bride Trafficking Formation of CBO/Peoples anti trafficking group Engagement of local government Inclusion of Issue of Bride trafficking with Government schemes and local plans Information dissemination and training of rural News reporters Formation of Survivors Commune (survivor's collectives) Direct Intervention/Rescue Counseling Community based secure rehabilitation Poverty alleviation and self sustainability Entrepreneurship development for vulnerable girls
EMPOWER PEOPLE has developed a peoples module to combat bride trafficking Which include prevention, Intervention, rehabilitation empowerment and organization As an umbrella organization for 25 CBOs across the country we are working for livelihood, development and equal participation to prevent the social crimes such as forced marriage , honour crimes to address the issue of Bride trafficking.
We are awaring the people of the source area like Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttrakhand and through distributing pamphlet and campaign, playing video and audio clips in rural gathering and forming committee at the local level to save the future of vulnerable , their safety and is toiling for raising this issue before the local administration.
EMPOWER PEOPLE believes in a larger community participation in combating trafficking. we are implementing an innovative idea in source area. We are using audio recording (interview of victim) in social gathering in source area like haat bazaar or Mela. we play these interviews on mike for awareness of people other hand we are conducting field seminars with community where we trained them for how to combat trafficking and how every girl is in risk of trafficking. It shown impact in various time when some traffickers were handed over to police by local people. We have plan for proper recording and investigation in destination and awearness programme in source area with collaborative initiative.
STRATEGIES Linkages with Duty Bearers (particularly the Police), Media Sensitisation, Sensitization programmes with Local administration including Local leaders, Sting Operations, Online and On-road Campaigns, liaisoning with Resident Commissioners of concerned states in Delhi, Awareness generation at source villages during Rural Haats (Mangal/Boodh Bazaars) through recorded tape messages, engaging with schools at Source villages for awareness generation and solidarity, Capacity-building/ awareness raising, Organizational development, Research & Development, Advocacy, Victim Support, CBO formation and strengthening, Participatory human and Institution development processes.
Sensitization and engagement -The idea is the result of the feedback from the concerned groups of the community. The local CBOs like youth clubs, grassroots NGOs, local women and network, micro enterprise groups and its network, rural volunteers, students, teachers are involved in all stages of project implementation and follow up initiatives. They are providing services in many ways for saving the women and girls. The community based organizations and people in general are also contributing for empowerment and sustainability of girls in community. education is also a major tool to ensure the sustainability and empowerment of local women, we are targeting community people in general. Through transfer of knowledge and information the capacity, skills and capability of the target people has been strengthened to combat the disease, eliminate injustice towards women and girls, and eliminate social stigma and making aware others independently
Data Record: To track and monitor the trend of trafficking we are regularly preparing database for missing or married girls in Source area as well as in destination. The data-base used to share with media and officials, Department of home of State and central government as well as available for public domain. Community awareness : spreading awareness among community in source areas through audio recording of victims and other specific strategies.
Workshop and seminar : Workshop with local NGOs stack holders and local officials as well as Religious or ethnic leaders to make them aware and sensitize about women rights.
Help-line; we are running a help-line for locating girls and tracking the traffickers. It is only one help line specifically for Bride trafficking. We are also helping the Victims who were trafficked or their relatives or information seekers through this helpline. parents of girls are informing us to verify the address of these people who is interested in marriage with some girl from east India. We have plan to extend this help line. Be a part of help line
Crisis/family counseling in Destination : This involves Counseling for Victims of bride trafficking or domestic violence and other types of family disputes to promote unity and understanding of violence among women and unit them on one platform. It works in close collaboration with local authorities e.g., police and judicial magistrate and is expected to intervene in ‘crisis’ cases and in cases of violence against women.
LEGAL HELP AND OTHER REQUIRED SUPPORT MECHANISM: Victims of different forms of violence against women are being supported and facilitated through legal counseling and other services. After rescue or filing a case the girls/women become abandoned and shelter less. In case of rescued trafficked girl we are ensuring their reintegration or reunion with family.
CBO FORMATION: we are empowering victims of bride trafficking and domestic violence through Community based organizations and trained them as community leader to encourage a secure and impact oriented reunion with community. CBOs are led and managed by survivors.
Our first focus in destination is registration of Paro/Molki girl in different government documents like voter list or PDS to ensure their identity and rights within family and community or for keep vigil on them and interacts with the local women so they cannot be selling again. When we see any girl who should be rescue we conduct a rescue operation with police or through community arbitration.
We are also forming communes for Bride trafficking victims. These communes are formed by trafficking survivors from two or three villages. In the commune, they usually sit together and discuss the life or any issue help other local women to build a strong relationship and earn respect from local community.
Campaign Against Bride Trafficking (INDIA)A critical element of the Campaign Against Bride Trafficking (Alliance of NGOs and Individuals) is the development of national and local coalitions who is helping to implement the campaign on the ground in communities across the country.
Alliance partners include:
Civic groups
Ethnic/Immigrant groups
Women's organizations
Labor organizations
Immigration organizations
Community health providers
Faith-based organizations and other non-profits
Social service organizations
School and collage students
Every Individual
Alliance partners are disseminating campaign information and resources to intermediaries who may come in contact with victims of trafficking to inform them of the services available to victims in their communities. Alliance partners also have access to effective communications and outreach strategies for identifying and interacting with victims of human trafficking.
An Indian Individual or NRI (holding Indian Passport) can support by donations
