Documentary throws light on rise of human trafficking

Human trafficking for flesh trade is on the rise in the villages of North Bengal, Sikkim and parts of the North East, according to a non government body.
"Widespread poverty in the region with the tea gardens closing down have led to people of North Bengal, Sikkim and parts of North-east resorting to the practice of human trafficking," said Nirnay John Chhetri, General Secretary, Mankind in Action for Rural Growth( MARG), a Darjeeling-based NGO, which assists in rescuing trafficked girls.
Chhetri was in the capital for a screening of documentary film "Sapana", which revolves around the life of Reena, a teenaged school dropout from a tea garden in Darjeeling, who gets lured to go to a big city in search of a lucrative job, and ultimately gets sold to a brothel.

The screening held at the American Center here last evening was attended by representatives of the UN Women, police agencies and members of various city based rights groups.
"The close proximity to four international borders of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and China have made the chicken's neck region of West Bengal near Siliguri a favourite transit point for traffickers who have resorted to GPS technology to track victims," said Chhetri.
Expressing his concerns for the incidence of the crime in South Asia, Joshua Polachek, Assistant Cultural Attache of the US Embassy said US and their partner nations are striving to to create an awareness about the issue.

"I am deeply touched by the story of one of the girls is shown in the short film. This is a crime that happens all over the world but in South and East Asia, the lack of awareness lead to a few of them getting rescued," Polachek said.