Human trafficking: from love to human trafficking: nightmare stories of teenage girls exposed | Delhi News

New Delhi: Out for this 14 year old West Bengalmeet someone through social media and talking to him turned out to be her worst nightmare. The teenager was recently rescued from Delhi, weeks after he was trafficked to the city.
Her ordeal began almost a year ago when she unknowingly made contact with a human trafficker online. Gradually, the trafficker won her trust and persuaded her to meet in person, which led to her being taken to Delhi.
Another 16-year-old girl, also from West Bengal, shared a similarly moving story. Like the other girl, she was lured by human traffickers via social media before falling into the trap.
Both girls were rescued by the NGO Shakti Vahinithat specializes in supporting survivors of human trafficking. According to the organization, there has been an increase in the number of cases involving this form of human trafficking, where victims are first attacked online before being moved to other cities.
For both teens, their traffickers first made them believe in a love story and then promised them marriage.
Only later, when these promises were not kept, did the survivors realize that they were among many other girls who fell into the same trap by following the same modus operandi.
When the 16-year-old was rescued, she told police she discovered her trafficker had used the method while also trapping other girls. She demanded strict punishment against him.
According to the NGO, many women and girls are usually trafficked to the capital from Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam. While some are trafficked for menial work such as working in brick kilns or other construction activities. Many are forced into sex work.
TOI had earlier reported that Delhi Police had recorded a 22% increase in the rescue of human trafficking victims in 2023, compared to the previous year.
The data shows that 839 people were rescued in 2023, up from 687 in 2022. The data shows that law enforcement authorities apprehended more than 170 people involved in human trafficking activities in 2023. They registered and investigated 107 cases during the year. The women were forced into various exploitative roles, including sex work, domestic servitude and manual labor.
The activists claim that human trafficking has been going on for several years, but that social media is now being used for this purpose.
“Social networking websites have recently emerged as a popular tool used by men and traffickers to approach young girls without any boundaries, entice them with the promise of better opportunities and force them into sexual exploitation. To educate young girls about the various methods traffickers use to conceal their identities to entice and coerce them into exploitation, schools should implement a curriculum on cyber-related human trafficking cases. The only way we can tackle the problem of cyber-related human trafficking situations is by raising awareness among children,” said Rishi Kant, activist and member of Shakti Vahini.