Navita is aVV-PACS Correspondent from Katihar district in Bihar on the eastern border of India. She has worked with the National Confederation of Dalit Organisations, working towards spreading awareness amongst the Dalit community on issues like access to livelihoods under the government’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Katihar is a district plagued by low literacy rates and an…

Navita Devi

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Illegal but distressingly real, human trafficking in India still remains a major issue. In this video, we will see how the Community Correspondent (CC) from Bihar, Navita, resolved one trafficking issue.

According to National Crime Records Bureau of India, in 2016, there were 8057 reported cases of Human Trafficking. The data also says that from 2014 to 2016, there was an increase in trafficking of children and women. 

The United Nations defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by improper means (such as force, abduction, fraud, or coercion) or an improper purpose including forced labor or sexual exploitation. The victim is forced into prostitution, made to do domestic work, or is enslaved, against their will. Social inequality, poverty, and corruption are some of the reasons for trafficking. Sometimes, due to poverty, poor parents are forced to sell their kids. And sometimes, agents of trafficking, trick and deceive poor parents, by promising education and jobs in big cities. Once the child reaches the city, he/she is pushed into child labour, or child prostitution.

Our community correspondent from Bihar, Navita came across one such agent in her village. Suga Devi, a resident of Navita's village, was tricked by an agent into marrying her daughter and niece. That is when Navita decided to catch this agent. 

Ms Suga devi was deceived by a woman into marrying her daughter and niece. Later she found out that the woman was a human trafficking agent. Amrika Devi, alias Meena Kumari, had convinced Suga devi that she had found a good family and her girls would be happy there after marrying. Suga Devi was unaware that her girls were being trafficked. She found out later that her daughter was forced to live with 4 men, as their wife!

Suga devi filed a complaint in the police station, and somehow managed to bring her daughter home. But her niece was still stuck. Suga Devi went to bring her back multiple times, but she couldn't. Navita tried talking to Amrika Devi about this, but she was threatened that she would have to pay for pursuing this.

But Navita didn't get scared. She, along with other members of her village, started to keep an eye on Amrika Devi. Finally, Amrika Devi and one of her partners were caught, with the help of the Village head and police. Amrika Devi was involved in trafficking of at least 100 girls, over the years, in 3 blocks of the village.

Because of Navita's determination and bravery, a human trafficking agent is being the bars, and the girls have returned to their homes.This is how our CC’s are helping raise issues and finding solutions.