This Headmaster In West Bengal Is Waging His Own War Against Human Trafficking

Chandan Maity is the headmaster of Krishnachandrapur High School in South 24 Parganas¡¯ Mathurapur. But he is also fighting a battle against a major evil. Yes, we are talking of human trafficking.

Since 2003, Maity has been going to villages in the delta region of South 24-Parganas as per a report in The New Indian Express. He goes to the interior of the Sunderbans to teach how to keep off human traffickers. Those areas are the hub of human trafficking and Maity is keeping the locals informed.

He teaches how an early marriage of a girl is not a good thing and also how bad it is to elope with someone in exchange for a smartphone or a few thousand rupees or the promise of a good future. Maity spoke about one case where a father who was poor sold his 2 daughters for Rs 2.8 lakh. The buyer was a middleman and a trafficking agent.

¡°Both the daughters were taken to Kashmir valley where they were forced to marry two locals who were already married. After a few months, one of them contacted me as my number is available with hundreds of families in the Sunderbans. They sought my help,¡± he said.

EPS

¡°When I was frantically looking to help them, a friend told me that her acquaintance was in the valley, so she could help. Finally, the two sisters returned by train, their fare paid for. I gave them refuge in my school hostel and ensured their education,¡¯¡¯ he added.

In another instance, he recalled how he helped a young widow complete her studies.

¡°Shakuntala Halder got married while studying in Class-VII. After two years, her husband died of a brain tumour. Her inlaws drove her out holding her responsible for the man¡¯s death. She returned home. She wanted to pursue education and I helped her. She completed graduation and was selected as the head of the block because she was the highest educated woman among the candidates,¡¯¡¯ he went on to say.

Maity began his campaign in 2003 when he saw the dropout rate in Class VII and VIII was very high among girls.

PTI (Representational)

¡°When I inquired, I found a startling fact. The parents considered their daughters eligible for marriage as soon as they attained puberty. As a result, many parents fell into the trap of traffickers, who faked themselves as eligible grooms,¡¯¡¯ he said.

According to police, it is an organised crime and based in West Bengal along with other states. A new trend is to lurk in mobile recharge centres and copy girls' numbers from the register.

¡°Once the number is accessed, the suspects swing into action. It starts with a missed call or WhatsApp messages. Within a few weeks, the girl¡¯s confidence is won by gifting a cellphone. Suddenly, the trafficker would tell her that he has got a job in Delhi, Mumbai or any other state and that his parents are likely to get him married. The girl easily falls into the trap. It is such an elaborate and carefully chalked out plan that the girl is bound to fall into the trap,¡¯¡¯ said a police officer.

As per police records, South 24 Parganas records nearly 3000 cases where 80% are girls between the ages of 14 and 18.

Maity is doing his bit to help curb this evil so that no girl falls prey.