BHUBANESWAR: Odisha has once again earned the dubious distinction of being the state with the highest number of human trafficking victims in the country in 2023.
According to the latest report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Monday, 1,305 people were trafficked from the state, surpassing Maharashtra (935) and Telangana (626).
This is for the third consecutive year that Odisha has topped the human trafficking chart. Interestingly, the NCRB data shows that the proportion of men (661) trafficked was higher than women (644). In 2022, as many as 1,120 people including 502 women were trafficked, while the number stood at 1,475 including 735 women in 2021.
At least 26.7 per cent of the victims (348 people) in 2023 were below the age of 18, of which 181 were girls. The number of trafficked minors was 353 in 2022 and 291 in 2021.
Odisha has, though, recorded the highest number of rescues in the country. As many as 1,246 victims trafficked in previous years were rescued by law enforcement agencies in 2023 alone. Among them were 649 men, 597 women and 342 below 18 years.
According to the NCRB data, forced labour, sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced marriage and petty crimes were the major purposes behind human trafficking in the state.
Odisha currently has 36 Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs), one in each police district, through which such cases are being registered and monitored. The NCRB has been collecting trafficking-related data from these units across India since 2016.
In terms of cases registered, however, Odisha stood at the third position with 162 cases in 2023, behind Maharashtra (388) and Telangana (336). The state had registered 121 cases in 2022 and 136 in 2021. The report said 298 people were arrested on charges of human trafficking in 2023 while 182 were charge-sheeted and 22 acquitted or discharged by the courts.
Police said, Odisha is a source state for labourers as a large number of people, especially from vulnerable communities, migrate to other states for work. Traffickers exploit this trend by luring them with promises of jobs and they end up in forced labour or other exploitative situations.
Retired police officer Santosh Nayak attributed the rising numbers to better reporting and proactive enforcement. “The number of registered cases are rising due to increased crackdown against such trade. The number of rescues has also gone up manifold. However, strong rehabilitation mechanisms may help curb the incidence,” he said.