India not doing enough in addressing human trafficking: US

India, a "source, destination and transit point" in human trafficking, is not doing enough to address the issue, the United States has said even as it placed New Delhi in tier 2 watch list of countries in a report on human trafficking.

"India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation," said the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report, which was released yesterday by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Observing that in recent years, there has been an increase of sex trafficking to medium-sized cities and satellite towns of large cities, it said India is also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.

There are also victims of labour trafficking among the thousands of Indians who migrate willingly every year to the Middle East, Europe, and the US for work as domestic servants and low-skilled labourers.

In some cases, such workers are the victims of fraudulent recruitment practices committed in India that lead them directly into situations of forced labour, including debt bondage.

In other cases, high debts incurred to pay recruitment fees leave them vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous employers in the destination countries, where some are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude, including nonpayment of wages, restrictions on movement, unlawful
withholding of passports, and physical or sexual abuse, the report said.

Noting that the Indian Government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, the report, however, said New Delhi is making significant efforts to do so.

"Despite these significant efforts, India has not demonstrated sufficient progress in its law enforcement efforts to address human trafficking, particularly bonded labour; therefore India is placed on Tier 2 Watch List," the report said.

In her remarks after releasing the report, Clinton said human trafficking it is an affront to the basic values and fundamental belief that all people everywhere deserve to live and work in safety and dignity.

"The Obama administration views the fight against human trafficking, both at home and abroad, as a critical part of our foreign policy agenda," Clinton said.

The United States currently funds 140 anti-trafficking programs in nearly 70 countries, as well as 42 domestic task forces to address the challenge here, she said.