GUWAHATI, Oct 5 � Assam has registered over 250 cases of human trafficking in the last two years, while 200 arrests were made in this regard.
Till May this year, Guwahati registered four cases, while Sonitpur and Nagaon registered six cases each. In 2013, Sonitpur had registered 22 such cases, followed by Guwahati with 15 cases.
In 2014 (till May), 26 victims were rescued. In 2013, nearly 160 victims were rescued from the clutches of traffickers. The conviction rate, however, remained abysmally low over the years.
With reference to various reports, the International Labour Organisation estimates that around 2.4 million men, women and children are internationally and domestically trafficked for various illegal purposes at any given point of time.
According to Assam Police records, out of the 409 missing female children up to May 2014, 208 were still to be traced. In case of male children, the whereabouts of 113 out of the 189, who went missing, are still not known.
�Assam is more a source area and transit point and, to a lesser extent, a destination area for the trafficking of women and children for the purpose of sexual/labour exploitation and over other false assurances,� police sources said.
The sources said that char or riverine areas, besides socially and economically backward areas, have turned out to be vulnerable. �Shelter camps of internally displaced persons due to ethnic conflicts/natural calamities are also vulnerable areas. Dubious agencies take advantage of the situation and thrive. This is a multi-million-dollar market,� the sources added.
