NAHARLAGUN, 30 Jul: The child trafficking in India report, compiled by Games24x7 and Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF), indicates that 80% of the rescued children are in the age group of 13 to 18 years.
“Out of all trafficked children rescued from 2016 to 2022, over 80% of the children rescued from different parts of the country were adolescents in the age group of 13 to 18; 13% of the rescued children were in the age group of 9 to 12 years, and, even though small, a group of children rescued were even less than 5 years old,” the report said.
These facts on child trafficking were revealed in a report released jointly by Games24x7 and KSCF, founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi.
Throwing light on the plight of child labourers in the country, the report revealed that, while the maximum of
children between 13 and 18 years are engaged by most of the industries, cosmetic industry was found to even engage children under the age group of 5 and 8 years.
The report, titled ‘Child Trafficking in India: Insights from Situational Data Analysis and the Need for Tech-driven Intervention Strategies’, has been released marking the World Day against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July.
The data collected by the Games24x7’s data science team is based on KSCF and its partners’ intervention in child trafficking cases across 262 districts in 21 states in India between 2016 and 2022, and the data has been collated to give a clear picture of the current trends and patterns in child trafficking. The results, as reflected in the research, can help governments and law enforcement agencies in formulating better strategies and understanding when dealing with such cases.
With the interventions of KSCF and its partners, a total of 13,549 children under the age of 18 were rescued between 2016 and 2022.
On sector-wise employment of children, the report found that the industries that employ the maximum number of child labourers are hotels and dhabas (15.6%), followed by Mom & Pop automobile or transport industry (13%), and garments (11.18%).
Besides, among factories, the electronic factories as well as garments factories employed the maximum number of trafficked children, followed by brick kilns, agriculture, and footwear.
While the tasks that the children were made to do in the garments factories included sari colouring and polishing, spinning mill helper, stitching and dyeing, they were made to make bulbs, and pack wires in electronics factories. While other factories engaged adolescents for various tasks, brick kiln and roof tile units even engaged children below the age of 5 in their units.
On the rising number of child trafficking cases in the country, KSCF managing director Rahul Kumar Shrawat said, “Even as the numbers look grim and worrisome, there is no denying the fact that the way India has dealt with the child trafficking issue in the past decade has given much teeth and momentum to the cause. Prompt and frequent intervention by central as well as state governments and law enforcement agencies, like the Railways Protection Force, Border Security Force, etc, in nabbing the traffickers and spreading awareness about trafficking has curtailed the number of trafficked children as well as led to a visible rise in the number of cases reported.
“However, this needs to be supported by a stringent and comprehensive anti-trafficking law, so it is our demand that the anti-trafficking bill be passed in this session of the Parliament itself. Our children are in danger and we have no time to lose,” Shrawat said.
Emphasising that there is also an urgent need to integrate tech-based interventions, co-founder and co-CEO of Games24x7, Trivikraman Thampy said, “Earlier this year, we made a commitment to expand our alliance with KSCF beyond financial assistance and to leverage Games24x7’s unique position as a technology leader with capabilities in data science and analytics to create lasting solutions for child upliftment. In alignment with this commitment, the comprehensive report presented here aims to empower our authorities and law enforcement agencies with the essential tools to develop targeted initiatives addressing child trafficking. This report not only sets the stage for future collaborations but also envisions a world where technology serves a higher purpose – the promise of a brighter future for every child, ultimately creating a safer tomorrow.” (DIPR)
