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 Each
year 5-7 thousand women and girls, including boys are
trafficked from Bangladesh. They are taken through India
to Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries for cheap labours
and prostitution. In a joint effort with Bangladeshi NGOs,
SLARTC has organised 3 border area posts for checking the
trade. One is at Basirhat in North 24 parganas, where
Ghojadanga is the official border on the Indian side,
where as Bhomra at Satkhira district is the border on the
Bangladesh side. The second border post of SLARTC is at
Banpur near Gede in Nadia district on the Indian side and
Kustia on the Bangladesh side. The third is Bhagobangola
in Murshidabad district on the Indian side and Chapai
Nababgunj and Rajsahi on the Bangladesh side.
All these 3 district panchayats have been chosen by SLARTC.
Here in 5 panchayats (local self government),
sensitisation is carried out for panchayat members, school
teachers, youth, local NGOs, police and others, regarding
human trafficking, safe migration and HIV / AIDS. Tea
stall meetings and village level meetings are organised in
each of these areas.
SLARTC is trying to develop a vigilance group that will
keep a watch on the migrants, as well as keep a tab on
unsafe migration through local touts. People involved in
migration generally take shelter in the border villages
before being taken to other Indian towns or cities. By
keeping tab, these migrating people can be traced when
brought to India. If intervention takes place at this
stage, police, border forces and NGOs can rescue many
trafficked persons.
Like SLARTC, NGOs in Bangladesh are also doing similar
work where they have Association for Community Development
at Rajsahi, Rights Jessore, Rupantor in Khulna, Dhaka
Ashania Mission and BNWLA.
SLARTC is looking after legal cases of the trafficked
persons in different courts of law in West Bengal. As per
the order of the court of law, the released persons are
repatriated to Bangladesh with the help of Home Department
and the Directorate of the Social Welfare, Gov. Of West
Bengal. Generally BNWLA receives the repatriated girls at
the border with the help of BDR.
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