Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh are among the top three states with the highest number of child trafficking incidents between 2016 and 2022, while Delhi reported more child trafficking cases in the post-pandemic phase than before COVID-19. An increase of 68 percent has been registered. This information has been revealed in a new study by a non-governmental organization (NGO).
These figures have been revealed in a comprehensive report titled ‘Child Trafficking in India: Insight from Situational Data Analysis and Need for Tech-Driven Intervention Strategy’. This report has been jointly prepared by ‘Games 24×7’ and Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF). The founder of the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation is Kailash Satyarthi, who won the Nobel Prize for Peace.
This report was released on Sunday on the occasion of ‘World Human Trafficking Prevention Day’, which describes the worrying situation of child trafficking in the country. According to the report, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh are the top three states where the maximum number of children were trafficked between 2016 and 2022.
According to the report, Delhi has recorded a 68 per cent increase in child trafficking cases after the pandemic as compared to pre-Covid-19.
District-wise, the city of Jaipur tops the list in terms of child trafficking, while the other top four places in the list include areas of the national capital Delhi.
The team of ‘gamesx24’ has gathered these data related to child trafficking from KSCF and its partners. The study, conducted in 262 districts across 21 states between 2016 and 2022, provides comprehensive information on current trends and methods of child trafficking. According to the study, at least 13,549 children below the age of 18 were rescued during this period. It was told in the report that 80 percent of the rescued children are in the age group of 13 to 18 years, while 13 percent are in the age group of nine to 12 years and two percent are less than nine years of age.
The report shows that child trafficking has affected children of different age ranges, due to which it has become a widespread issue. According to the report, there has been a significant increase in child trafficking cases in various states, but Uttar Pradesh has seen the highest increase in child trafficking cases.
According to the report, the incidents recorded before Covid-19 (2016 to 2019) were 267, but the post-pandemic phase (2021 to 2022) saw a huge increase and 1214 cases were registered. The report said that an 18-fold increase was recorded in Karnataka and the number of cases increased from six to 110.
Despite these worrisome figures, the report also highlights the positive steps taken by the government and promoting agencies in the last decade. The report stresses the need for a comprehensive anti-trafficking law to effectively deal with child trafficking.
