In 2016, a total of 8,137 cases of human trafficking were reported from across the country, a jump of 18 per cent over the 6,877 cases reported in 2015 as per data released recently by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The motive behind over 7,670 cases were sexual exploitation and prostitution, while 162 cases were for child pornography.
With 3,579 cases, West Bengal had a share of over 44.01 per cent of the total cases, followed by Rajasthan which accounted for 17.49 per cent with 1,422 reported cases. Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu were next in line with 548, 517, 434, cases, respectively.
West Bengal had reported 1,255 (18.2 per cent) cases in 2015, when it ranked second to Assam, which saw a huge dip in the number of such cases with barely 91 cases (1.12 per cent). In 2015, with 1,494 cases, Assam accounted for 21.7 per cent cases.
Women accounted for over 65 per cent of the victims, with 10,150 of the total 15,379 victims being women, and 5,229 men. Over 9,034 victims in 2016 were below 18 years, with female victims (4,911) outnumbering men (4,123).
Around 23,117 victims, including 182 foreigners, were rescued during the year from across the country. Of these, 55 per cent (12,780) of those rescued were women. In all, 10,815 people were arrested in human trafficking cases in 2016.
NCRB DATA - 2016
8,000 cases of human trafficking reported in 2016.
23,000 victims rescued during the year.
182 foreigners among
9,034 were below 18 years of age.
