One of the features of modern Indian society is the gender imbalance – there are 40 million more males than female according to the most recent survey. New data from the 2011 Indian census show that there are now 914 girls aged 0-6 years old for every 1,000 boys of the same age. A cultural preference for sons and the increasing availability of prenatal screening to determine a baby's sex have helped contribute to a worsening in the ratio (from 927 in the previous census in 2001), which has been deteriorating rapidly even as the ratio for the population as a whole has improved. A decline was recorded in 28 of the country's 35 states and territories, among which there is wide variation; from 830 in the northern state of Haryana to 973 Meghalaya in the east.

One of the longer-term consequences of female foeticide and infanticide is a shortage of brides, and this in turn has resulted in the phenomenon of bride trafficking.

This is particularly evident in Haryana which has the most skewed sex ratio in India. ‘The Red Cross Society of India, which campaigns against gendercide in the country, reckons that at least 100 brides have been brought into Bhiwani, one of Haryana’s 21 districts. Nandgaon, a village of some 1,700 people, most of them farmers, is a microcosm of bachelor angst. The Red Cross reckons that at least 100 bachelors have passed the age range thought ideal for marriage, which is 20 to 25. At least five have married women from other states.’ [Source: The Economist 4-3-2010]

Watch Al Jazeera's Slavery documentary on Bridal Slavery.

[counterfeit love]

Bride trafficking can be the primary purpose of trafficking or it may be a by-product. Traffickers who set out with the purpose of providing a bride for a client will use one of several methods, or a combination. They take a girl forcibly, or they may entice the girl with promises of a good job or an attractive lifestyle. They may groom the girl by developing a relationship with them, making them feel special, so that the offer to take them to a big city and where they can be married is very attractive.

Equally girls who have been trafficked into the sex trade or domestic service, may find themselves being sold into marriage against their will.

[preying on the vulnerable]

As with all forms of trafficking in India, those who are most at risk are those who fall below the caste system – Dalits and Tribals. Traffickers target the most vulnerable – the poor, the marginalised and the displaced.

One well-used route for bride trafficking is bringing tribal girls from the North East states of India to Delhi and the surrounding area. This is one of the focus areas for our work in India.

DFN UK wants to see an end to bride trafficking in India. End Dalit Trafficking. [Read more...]