Click to play videoYoung girls trafficked to Delhi from Jharkhand and West Bengal, forced into pregnancy and conceiving, their babies sold to prospective buyers. In the heart of India's Capital, placement agencies thrive as their “side-business” of baby selling booms.
The shocking expose on the underbelly of Capital’s adoption market conducted by a CNN-IBN special investigation team on Sunday has sent authorities running for cover and calling for action.
Hours after the investigation - that revealed how minor girls were being illegally brought to Delhi as potential child producers in the garb of domestic help - was aired, the child welfare committee took serious note of the matter and asked for strong action against the culprits.
But while the expose raises difficult questions and seeks accountability, it also reflects on Indian society’s apathy. Do Indians really care for domestic help?
On CNN-IBN’s Sunday special ‘Babies for Sale’, Bhupendra Chaubey discussed the issue with Central Voluntary Adoption and Resource Agency (CEVARA) Leila Baig Secretary and Founder Member of Nirmala Niketan Subhash Bhatnagar.
Just why do such cases happen? Are laws – or the lack of them – to blame? Is that the reason why trafficking of children is now becoming a part of adoption process in the country?
Answering the question Baig said, “It’s not entirely adoption laws which are at fault over here but there is a huge demand for children now. There aren’t enough children coming into the regulated system. So rumors are rampant of private adoptions taking place. This is an abuse of the system where there are so many guilty parties involved.”
“There are the employers of these people their children are being subjected to prostitution, they are probably being abused in many ways and the consent is not taken of the mother,” she added.
When it comes to trafficking or dealing with cases of trafficking, the laws are just not clear. The only law which deals with trafficking refers to prostitution.
Talking about the laws related to adoption and trafficking, Bhatnagar said, “There is absolutely no law for the girls who are being trafficked for domestic work or for any other work. There are only fraud agencies writing registration but they are not registered anywhere. It is mostly a husband wife team registering a partnership deal.”
Talking about the charges to be framed against the guilty, North-West Delhi DCP Manish Agarwal said the statement of the victim, Sukhmai, reveals a kidnapping attempt, rape and confinement and finally, abduction of her baby.
“We have initially leveled allegations at the charges of 363, 367 then 342, 376 which is rape, 506 that is intimidation and 34 that is common intention of committing all the crimes as mentioned. But most of the sections are non-bailable. Nevertheless we are hopeful that with the help of the girl being taken to the native place, she will be able to identify the person and that will make the entire investigation easier,” he said.
The Government figures too tell a dramatic story. Figures estimate that about 12 million children under the age of 14 are employed - that’s almost 12 per cent of India's total population. If we have failed to first control the practice of child labour, how can we deal with such mammoth problems?
The figures show that while the incidents of crime against domestic help in the last two years have increased by 40 per cent, the conviction rate is only 10 per cent. Many activists believe that there’s a predominant feeling within the civil society that because it’s a domestic help - perceived to be a helpless creature - anyone can get away with anything.
“Yes they sometimes feel that they are feeding and clothing young person and there is no control or no standards imposed. They don’t pay the salaries of these people; it’s a total question of bonded labor,” Baig replied.
When someone comes to a placement agency or a middle-man for adoption, there’s just no way that his/her intent can be established.
Then how can an agency ensure that the baby is being handed over to safe hands?
“When they come to an adoption agency there is a whole screening process for the adopted parents and we are very much aware of the fact that certain families want children to look after them in their old age. But we make sure that the family is adequately motivated,” she said.
The number of such children who continue to come to the Delhi in search of jobs continues to increase. There is no way that you can impose any ban against these people. The basic problem is not just with the parents but with the children who get load with these kind of business but also with the businessman with the agencies.
Is this need of the hour to actually create a distinction between a placement agency and an agency, which wants to actually work as something else but is working under the placement agency?
“There certainly has to be certain restrictions. Now adoption agencies are recognised for two purposes for keeping children and also keeping unwed mothers incase they come to them on the time of distress or crisis. So these people are employment placement agencies. They are not child adoption placement agencies, “Baig said.
Agreeing to Baig's statement Bhatnagar said, “Definitely we need a law now in the present circumstances when there is high demand of domestic workers to regulate the entire domestic work and that is that the national commission for women is also planning to recommend to the government.”
Final results:
Do we really care for our domestic help?
Yes: 43 per cent
No: 57 per cent
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