Migrant workers in Assam caught between lack of jobs and trafficking fears amid Covid-19 pandemic

A large chunk of the vegetables Rathin Das (name changed) cultivated this season got wasted due to the travel restrictions imposed to curb Covid-19.

With his income severely hit, Das, a farmer in Western Assam's Baksa district decided to move out to Gujarat for a job. At least 34 persons like him boarded a bus, which was arranged by a local "contractor''. Hours later, a police team and SSB personnel stopped them near Kumarikata on June 22 and prevented them from going out. Seven persons accompanying them were arrested on suspicion of being traffickers. All the 34 persons, including 22 women and seven minors, were sent back to their villages after official formalities.

The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number (GJ-14V-711), was seized by the police.

"Now let them give us jobs here," said an angry Das. "Who wants to leave home and go out if we get work here?" he asked.

As the Assam government intensifies the drive to prevent human trafficking, migrant workers like Das find themselves caught between lack of jobs and fear of trafficking.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently said that the state police had been instructed to act against trafficking as many economically disadvantaged people were falling prey to trafficking. "Many women and children, particularly from our tea gardens are being taken out to Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other states with the promise of jobs. Many are often exploited and are forced into immoral activities. We can not allow such things to go on," Sarma said.

But according to activists, not only the Adivasi workers, economically weaker sections from all communities are vulnerable to trafficking as thousands from across Assam are working in Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Delhi and other states. Those "rescued" in Baksa belongs to Bodo, Adivasi, Koch Rajbongshi and the Bengali communities.

"Things can be more grave this time as farmers could not sell their crops due to Covid-related restrictions. Small shopkeepers lost so much business that they are going out in batches for work. Many girls and children are also going out and this makes them vulnerable to trafficking," said Rafikul Islam, a child rights activist based in Barpeta, a district having large Bengali-speaking Muslim population.

"Normally, milk is sold at Rs 60 per litre but now many are forced to sell it at Rs 10 to 20," he said. "Such people must be supported with jobs, locally. And at the same time, there must be some kind of registration of people moving out of the state in order to prevent them from falling into the trap of traffickers," he said.

Assam is one of the source areas for human trafficking and poverty induced by annual floods and militancy was identified as the major push factor. But job losses created by the pandemic is likely to make the situation worse.

"More and more youths of lower Assam are now moving out to different places in search of work. We have come across 16 such cases in May this year in which such youths have been stopped from falling prey to traffickers. In the case, where a bus from Gujarat came to Baksa to lure girls with the promise of jobs, shows how serious the problem is," said Digambar Narzary of Nedan Foundation, an NGO based in Kokrajhar, which is working to curb human trafficking in Assam.

Trafficking by train

As railways has been a favourite mode of transport for traffickers, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has itensified vigil and rescued several minor boys and girls recently while being taken out to Delhi, Kerala and some other places by persons not known to them. Three minor boys were rescued from Tinsukia and Dibrugarh railway station in eastern Assam on June 22 and 23.

"The Railway Protection Force has rescued as many as 403 children and women from trains and stations during January 2020 to May 2021. There were 311 children aged below 18 years, 57 boys and girls aged above 18 years and 35 women among the rescued persons," Chief Public Relations officer, NFR, Subhanan Chanda said in a statement on June 26.