How Traffickers Find Their Prey (Oppurtunistic Predators)

• Many Human Traffickers are opportunistic and wait at train or bus stations for runaways.
• These runaways are fleeing from poverty in the countryside and the brutality of their families.
• They are easy prey for traffickers who are lying in wait, promising them a place to stay and well paid jobs.
• When they hand these children over, traffickers earn a commission of up to 1,000 rupees which is equivalent to 16 U.S. dollars.
• These predators take advantage of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes to strike.
• For instance in India during monsoon season many rural communities are washed away.
• Traffickers drive to what remains of these villages and collect orphans off the street or purchase the children of farmers who have lost everything.

Statistics:

• According to an Indian government census from 2001, this country of over 1 billion people has 12.6 million minors between the ages of 5 and 14 who are working.
• 3/4 of all domestic servants in India are children, and 90% of those are girls.
• Aid organizations estimate that 20 to 65 million Indians have already passed through the hands of human traffickers at one point in their lives.
• 90% of them remains within India's national borders, and the majority are female and under the age of 18.

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Why Does India Sell It's Daughter's

• The main reason is out of poverty and desperation.
• The second reason is due to the male dominated society of India. In Indian society girls have very little status or worth, they cost their parents money.
• For example; when a young woman marries, the marriage has to be financed by her family. The majority of these families simply can't afford to pay a dowry.
• On the other hand boys are highly valued and remain with their families longer.
• When they become men, they are expected to look after the older generations and support them financially.
• Hence, in Indian society it makes economic sense to sell off girls at a very young age.
• Many traffickers pose as marriage match makers taking girls as young as 10 years old away from their poverty stricken families.

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