#Justice4Tuktuki forms a tiny portion of West Bengal’s miserable failure to stop human trafficking

Image courtesy: satyablog.org
Sindhu M V Sindhu M V folomojo staff

In February 2015, a 14-year-old girl named Tuktuki Mondal was abducted and raped by local goons. She was let go only when the family assured that abductors that they would not report the case to police.

Tuktuki remains untraceable, since over 100 days!

In May, the girl was yet again abducted at gunpoint. This time they threatened to kill Tuktuki if a police complaint was made against them. In spite of identifying the accused, it is reported that the police did not initiate investigation against the abductors. And so far, Tuktuki remains untraceable.

The West Bengal administration too has turned a blind eye towards the plight of the family, which has angered those fighting for the release of the teenager.

Father recounts the horrifying expereince

Earlier, in a Google Hangout session organized by Satya Dosapati, a veteran human rights activist based in New York, the girl’s father gives a detailed account of the story.

West Bengal: An easy choice for human trafficking

For years, West Bengal has been the hub of human trafficking. The report released by United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) titled ‘Anti Human Trafficking, 2013′ revealed that out of over 19,000 women and children reported missing in West Bengal in 2011, only 6,000 could be traced.

Added to the statistics related to high poverty, the state’s huge international border – 2,217 kms with Bangladesh, 92 kms with Nepal and 175 kms with Bhutan, West Bengal has been highly vulnerable to cross-border trafficking.

While, #Justice4Tuktuki trended on twitter – mostly bashing the Mamata government and the media for their silence on the case, and some giving the case a religious overtone – what’s more worrying is that nothing substantial has been done over the years to put an end to this crime!

The story continues…

Many of us will go on with our lives as many more daughters will continue to go missing. #ShameOnHumanity!

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