The Hindu : New Delhi News : Stars speak up for human dignity

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 12, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Stars speak up for human dignity

Human trafficking is one of the most severe forms of human rights violations. As cross-border trafficking is increasingly becoming a big problem in South Asia, the who’s who of Bollywood have extended support to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to combat the menace.

Actors John Abraham, Amisha Patel, Mita Vashisht and singer Penaz Masani were among the many who turned up in the Capital on Wednesday to highlight the grim fact that every day in South Asia, children and young women are lured or taken from their homes with the promise of a good job or marriage. However, once captive, they are forced into sex work and manual labour where they suffer unspeakable indignities and hardship.

Speaking on the occasion, John Abraham said: “Of the 150,000 cases of trafficking in South Asia, an overwhelming number is from our country. Rather than being told by outsiders what all we should do to combat the menace, we ourselves must do something to put an end to it.”

Stating that it was not possible to isolate human trafficking from the core issues, Amisha Patel said: “I am appalled to read the statistics and what all goes in human trafficking. Earlier, I had only superficial knowledge about the issue. It is disturbing to know that young girls are running away from their homes and ending up in brothels. Organs of men, women and children are being sold. A five-year-old girl is sold as a prostitute and young boys are ending up as camel jockeys in Arab countries.”

In a video message, Preity Zinta said that to prevent trafficking it is necessary to promote education, create awareness and become more vigilant.

“It is a daunting task to rescue these girls from living hell and restore human dignity. We must bring the perpetrators to justice. We must strengthen the hands of those fighting the global battle against human trafficking.”

Musician Gautam Ghosh said human trafficking was perhaps as old as life itself. “The depraved exploit the deprived. As a world musician and practitioner of modern jazz, my mind often wanders off to the barbaric history of the gross inhumanness of the slave traders of yesteryears, selling out their human cargo in the busy markets of New Orleans.”

Singer Penaz Masani expressed concern over the fact that 35,000 children and women were brought from Nepal and Bangladesh into our country.

In an earlier message, actor Sharmila Tagore said the issue of human trafficking is a matter of deep concern. “It touches the lives of many human beings, especially children and women, who are scarred for life.”

Madhur Tankha

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