DEHRADUN: As against the skewed sex ratio of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, eight out of the total 13 district of Uttarakhand has more women than men. But their dainty physical appearance, fair complexion and poor background has made them vulnerable to traffickers.
"Fifty per cent of those who are married off outside the hills become victim of deception. Of these, 40% are actually sold off into prostitution in the garb of marriage while 10% end up in incongruent marriages, where, for instance, the husband is old in age."
"With the anti-human trafficking cell (AHTC) becoming active in the state, the regular police has begun tracking such cases with help from the revenue police. Until June this year, 88 such cases have been reported from across the state. It was 138 last year."
Poverty is the biggest factor behind women being trafficked. It was on July 23 that we rescued a 12-year-old girl who was raped and sold off multiple times by her maternal uncle. She had also given birth to a son at such a young age.
It was found that 60 girls from nearby villages were sold in just one year. Seventeen girls who had married two years ago were never seen again.
Geeta Gairola, project director of Mahila Smakhya organization, said, "Our teams have raided these agents from hill districts many times. But they escaped under the pretext of fake marriage. These people also carry bridal clothes and 'sehra' in their vehicles."
The revenue officers who handle additional charge of policing in these hill districts are generally ill-equipped and poorly trained to tackle agents indulging in this sordid business.
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Experts believes a full-fledged action is required to bring the activities under control. An advanced technology needs to be introduced for effective addressal of Women Trafficking.
