Every Second Child In Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP And Goa Faces Sexual Abuse; Delhi Tops Trafficking List
48 per cent of children who went missing are yet to be traced
Every second child in western states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa is subjected to one and more forms of sexual abuse. This shocking revelation was made by a recent report titled ＆Children in Difficult Circumstances＊ compiled by Plan India 每 an NGO which advocates for survival, protection, development and participation rights of all children.
According to the the report as many as 28,982 children in Maharashtra and 8,598 children in Gujarat are suffering from HIV/AIDS.
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Madhya Pradesh 每 which reported 13.8% (5,076 out of 36,735 cases) of total rape cases in the country 每 accounted for the highest crime against children (16.9%).
Delhi tops list of child trafficking cases in India
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The national capital 每 according to the report 每 has earned the dubious distinction of having ranked the highest in child trafficking cases. In fact, the region has become a favoured destination and transit for traffickers in the northern region, along with Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The children are generally trafficked for labour, sex trade and agricultural work.
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※Around 2.8 million people are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation annually, of which 40% are children. It has become a more organised criminal activity carried out for flesh trade, child marriage, beggary, organ trade and adoption. It is also observed that ratio of trafficking increases in disaster hit areas,§ said the report.
Eastern India emerges as hub for child trafficking in the country
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The eastern states, including Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Sikkim, Jharkhand, West Bengal along with Andaman and Nicobar Islands, accounted for 61 per cent of the total human trafficking cases in India.
Also, of the total children in the eastern region who went missing, an average 48 per cent are yet to be traced, says the report citing National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for 2014.
Child marriage still remains a grave concern in northern states
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Child marriage remains a grave concern with Rajasthan ranking the highest, where 57.6 per cent of women in the age group of 20-24 were married before the legal age of 18 years. This is followed by Uttar Pradesh (54.9 percent) and Haryana (28 percent).
30 per cent of women were married before the age of 18 in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra (25.1 per cent) and Goa (9.8 per cent).
※Disparities exist in the incidence of child marriage across social groups, wealth quintile and education of women, says the report adding that ※child marriage violates a range of women＊s inter-connected rights such as equality on grounds of sex and age to receive the highest attainable standards of health, to be free from slavery, access to education, freedom of movement, freedom from violence, reproductive rights and the right to consensual marriage§.
Child marriage is often a route for trafficking of young girls for sexual exploitation. Out of 3 million women and girls in India engaged as sex workers, 40 per cent are minors. Trafficking of girls is high in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana into four metropolitan cities and Goa.
※Poverty, frequent natural disasters, migration, dysfunctional family, domestic violence and low status of girl children abet child trafficking,§ the report added.
Drug consumption, a major concern for children in northeast states
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Meanwhile, in north-eastern states 每 including Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh 每 drug consumption emerged to be a major concern.
※According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, of the total number of cases filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act, 1985, in 2015, 10 per cent were from these states,§ the report stated.
The findings were the result of consultations conducted in 28 states and four Union Territories for over three months, with over 2,000 civic society organisations including government departments working with children in difficult circumstances.
The findings were the result of consultations conducted in 28 states and four Union Territories for over three months, with over 2,000 civic society organisations including government departments working with children in difficult circumstances.