WEST BENGAL: Other than teaching, Chandan Maity in South 24 Parganas’ Mathurapur visits interiors of Sunderbans to teach another lesson: how to keep off human traffickers. Maity is the headmaster of Krishnachandrapur High School in South 24 Parganas’ Mathurapur. From 2003, Maity has been visiting villages in the delta region of South 24-Parganas, the human trafficking hub of West Bengal, interacting with girls and their parents, tutoring them how early-marriage of a girl can ruin her life.
He also tells them about the consequences of eloping with someone in exchange for a smartphone or a few thousand rupees and a promise of an elusive bright future. Citing an instance, Maity says a poor father had sold out his two daughters for `2.8 lakh to a middleman, an agent of trafficking racket. “Both the daughters were taken to Kashmir valley where they were forced to marry two locals who were already married. After a few months, one of them contacted me as my number is available with hundreds of families in the Sunderbans. They sought my help,” recalls Maity.
“When I was frantically looking to he lp them, a friend told me that her acquaintance was in the valley, so she could help. Finally, the two sisters returned by train, their fare paid for. I gave them refuge in my school hostel and ensured their education,’’ said Maity. In another example, the headmaster narrated how his effort had helped a young widow t o c omp l e t e h e r education. “Shakuntala Halder got married while studying in Class-VII. After two years, her husband died of a brain tumour. He in-laws drove her out holding her responsible for the man’s death.
She returned home. She wanted to pursue education and I helped her. She completed graduation and was selected as the head of the block because she was the highest educated woman among the candidates,’’ he said. Maity says he began his campaign in 2003 when he noticed that school dropout rate was more than 30 per cent among girls studying in Class- VII and V I I I .
“When inquired, I found a startling fact. The parents considered their daughters eligible for marriage as soon as they attained puberty. As a result, many parents fell into the trap of traffickers, who faked themselves as eligible grooms,’’ he said. Police sources say trafficking in the district is a well-organised crime with operators based in West Bengal and other states. In the past few years, a new modus operandi of the gangs has emerged: They lurk around mobile recharge outlets, where girls go to get their cell phones recharged and copy their number from the register.
“Once the number is accessed, the suspects swing into action. It starts with a missed call or WhatsApp messages. Within a few weeks, the girl’s confidence is won by gifting a cellphone. Suddenly, the trafficker would tell her that he has got a job in Delhi, Mumbai or any other state and that his parents are likely to get him married. The girl easily falls into the trap. It is such an elaborate and carefully chalked out plan that the girl is bound to fall into the trap,’’ says a police officer. Records available with the police show that South 24 Parganas district records nearly 3,000 cases of trafficking in which 80 per cent victims are girls aged between 14 and 18 years.