Trafficking of Women in Eastern India: A Social Anthropological Perspective

Crimes against women are a universal dark reality that confronts all nations. Trafficking of women is one such crime, which involves all places either a source or destination of trafficking. Not only it is widely prevalent, it is also traumatic and akin to slavery in modern times. It debilitates its victims not just physically but mentally as well. Although trafficking is prevalent in almost all parts of India, one region where it is widespread is Eastern India, comprising the states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. In his article, the focus is on a holistic and an analytical prescriptive. It examines crimes against women from the perspectives of victims, offenders as well as the cultural context, to interpret how it all influences trafficking. It takes a processual and an interpretive approach towards the phenomena of the trafficking. Based on Alison Phinney’s concept of ‘trafficking space’, the article look at the ecosystem of trafficking in terms of demand or pull, push and the vulnerability factors in conjunction with the modus operandi of the traffickers and the cultural context, wherein women are habitually abused and have a lower status pushing them into trafficking trap. The article also suggests how to handle the issue and identify those plays where it is widespread.