Human trafficking to be tackled by Youth Leaders

It has been widely believed hitherto that girls, mostly illiterate and living in abject poverty in rural Andhra Pradesh, get trafficked to far-away cities and towns for economic reasons.

But a good number of girls rescued by Childline India Foundation partner HELP in Prakasam district happened to be college students. It was a fancy for a smartphone or costly dress under pressure from peers had pushed many girls from junior and engineering colleges to fall a prey to designs of traffickers. It was autorickshaw drivers who acted as pimps in many cases, says HELP programme officer B.V. Sagar highlighting the gravity of the problem rampant in different parts of the district, including Martur, Chirala and Ongole, important transit points.

Many of the victims of trafficking end up contracting HIV/AIDS as the demand goes up for minor girls, he says, adding hence HELP has roped in youth leaders to warn the members of the GenX of the peril.