Chief Justice condemns human trafficking of women

SNS | Kolkata | 10 July, 2016: Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, Manjula Chellur, speaking at a seminar on human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation,  Saturday said: "This type of incidents of human trafficking and sexual harassment on women is very shameful and it is increasing day by day. As the society is progressing towards development parallelly human trafficking and sexual harassment on women are also increasing.

"In four districts of West Bengal Rs Jalpaiguri, East Midnapore, South and North 24- Parganas Rs there has been a huge rise in human trafficking which has come to light but there are many other districts of this state where such trafficking is happening but has not yet come to light,' the chief justice stated.

"This is not desirable at all and every individual from every level of society should protest against such crime if it happens before their eyes. In the lower courts many such cases remain pending; thus initiative should be taken by the courts to complete these cases as early as possible.

Also on the other hand these incidents should be dealt with in a humanitarian way. When the victim goes to file a complaint the law enforcement should never think that they are false or created cases and greater initiative should be taken to provide them with confidence. " Justice

Indira Banerjee who was also present in the seminar said: "Most of the trafficking happens inter-state. Only ten per cent crosses international borders like Nepal to India, Bangladesh to India or visa versa."

The seminar was organised by the West Bengal state legal service authority at the Centenary Building of Calcutta High Court, where two victim girls also narrated their ordeal after they were trafficked from Calcutta to Mumbai.

The first victim girl married when she was only 14 years old and was subjected to domestic violence. She had returned to her parents’ home but then again her husband took her from her parents’ home and took her to Mumbai.

In Mumbai the girl was sold to an individual, but later she had managed to escape from there and return to her parents’ home. Once she returned, her relatives and neighbours taunted her repeatedly.

The girl alleged that when she had gone to the local police station she was asked humiliating questions by the officers, and now the case is pending in court. Every time she goes she returns home with another court date, nothing beyond that, no justice, she said.

The second victim girl too was married and also subjected to domestic violence. She had gone to the police station and lodged a complaint against her husband and in laws. In order to meet the legal expenses of the case the victim girl started searching for a job.

A neighbourhood girl told her that she would help her in her search for a job and brought her to Kolkata, but no job was provided. Then the girl was taken to Garia station and given something to drink and drug was administered to her.

When the girl regained consciousness, she found herself in a train along with her husband and his brother in law. But she was not taken back home but sold off to a brothel in Mumbai. The girl managed to escape and find shelter in a "home' in Pune, where the Pune police lodged a case.

The girl was then brought back to a home in Kolkata, from where she went back to her parents’ home. Since her case was registered in Pune, thus she went to Pune court twice or thrice but after that she could not bear the expenses.