What are the major causes of women trafficking?

The major causes of trafficking in women are as follows:

1. Poverty

Especially in poor countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, poverty is the root cause of trafficking of women. The financially weak parents themselves sale their sons and daughters to the dalals for money.

2. Unemployment

When the male members of the family are not working then the females have to take the entire burden of running the household. The women undergo immense pressure to satisfy the family needs. This is taken as an advantage by the traffickers who lure women into the flesh trade.

3. Child Marriage

In India child marriages still exist and even the dowry system. The girls are trafficked in the name of marriage to Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Mumbai, Bihar and other states.

4. Social Stigma

In our society especially in the rural areas, the single, divorced, unwed, widowed and sexually abused women and young girls are looked down upon. The unwillingness of the society to accept them may lead to frustration on the part of these women and they become easy prey of the traffickers.

5. Religious Practices

The devadasi system wherein the girl is wedded to God and later on exploited by the temple priests, helps to the growth of women trafficking. Still this practice is continued in India. The Scheduled Caste women are made to work as devadasi. Later on they become prostitutes in the red light areas of the city.

6. Female Infanticide and Foeticide

The states like Punjab and Haryana have a very high rate of female infanticide and foeticide. Hence the sex ratio is not balanced in such states. The men in these states depends heavily on the human traffickers for the satisfaction of their physical needs.

7. False Promises

The women who are involved in a love affair with a man without knowing his background are ultimately cheated and lured into prostitution racket. The promises of marriage becomes false when the man makes a DVD or MMS of hers which shows her in a negative way. Ultimately the women is blackmailed and trapped by the traffickers.

8. Domestic Violence

Due to the dowry system, the women are victims of the domestic violence. Wife battering is glorified in India. A man is considered as masculine if he ill treats his wife and beats her black and blue. Many women who are lucky enough to escape such torture are not accepted by their parents also. This is because even the parents feel that the girl after marriage is someone else’s property. Such women ultimately fall prey to the traffickers.

9. Natural Disasters

The women are more vulnerable during natural calamities like earthquakes, cyclones, floods as well as during man made disasters like war. It was reported in the newspapers that in the Gujarat earthquake many women were molested, raped and sold. Prostitution increases much more during such disasters.

10. Migration

The men who migrate to the cities live behind their families. Hence to satisfy their physical needs, the market of human trafficking flourishes a lot in the cities.

11. Tourism

The male tourists who visit our country also demands commercial sex for their enjoyment. Thus the women become more vulnerable in tourists destinations like Goa, Mahabaleshwar etc. Hence many people are afraid to settle down with their families in the tourists areas.

12. Social Practices

The social practices like expecting women to give sacrifices for the family, develops a sense of duty and obligation drives the women to migrate for work in order to support their families. They become an easy victim of traffickers.

13. Lack of Birth Registry

People who do not have proper registration of birth falls easily in the net of the traffickers because their age and nationality cannot be documented. Childrens who are trafficked are called as adults by the traffickers and they are easily passed on from one state to another.

14. Lack of Education

People with limited education have fewer viable job skills and opportunities. They are more prone to trafficking as they look to migrate for unskilled work.

15. Corruption

The traffickers often bribe the corrupt police and immigration officials to overlook criminal activities. The Civil Servants are also bribed to falsify information on ID cards, birth certificates and passports making human trafficking easier.