The Hindu : National : `International trafficking in women rising'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 19, 2004

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National

`International trafficking in women rising'

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 18. About 90 million women, comprising half of the world's international migrants, currently reside outside their countries of origin, a United Nations World Survey on "The Role of Women in Development: Women and International Migration," says.

While most women move voluntarily, many are forced migrants who have fled conflict, persecution, environmental degradation, natural disasters and other situations that affect their habitat, livelihood and security.

Empowering experience

Migration can be an empowering experience for women. It can involve moving away from situations where women live under traditional, patriarchal authority to situations where they have greater autonomy over their own lives, the report says, adding that women who stay back when their husbands or children migrate often have to take on new roles and assume responsibility for the well-being of their households.

Migrant women also play a part in the economic development of their country of destination and their country of origin through financial remittances, the improvement of their own skills or their contribution to the education and skills of the next generation.

However, a dearth of data on women and migration makes it difficult to assess the full implications of international migration for women. The report says statistics on international migration — both legal and unauthorised — are not comprehensive and are often published without classification by sex or age. A better understanding of women and international migration requires improvements in data collection, dissemination and analysis.

The U.N. world survey says ratification and implementation of all international legal instruments that promote and protect the rights of migrating women would improve the situation of migrant, refugee and trafficked women. Review of national emigration and immigration laws and policies in order to identify discriminatory provisions that undermine the rights of migrant women and development of policies that enhance migrant, refugee and trafficked women's employment opportunities are some other suggestions made in the report.

Criminal activity

The trafficking in people for prostitution and forced labour is one of the fastest-growing areas of international criminal activity and one that is of increasing concern to the international community. Women smuggled by traffickers may be led to believe that they will work in legitimate occupations but find themselves trapped into forced prostitution, marriage, domestic work and other exploitation that constitute a contemporary form of slavery, the survey says. Preventive activities must include awareness about the dangers of trafficking and economic opportunities at home. The survey says migration should take place through legal channels.

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