Climate change linked to poverty, trafficking in the Sundarbans
Despite several interventions by the government and efforts of non-government organisations, trafficking continues to be a major policy challenge in certain parts of West Bengal.
With frequent cyclones hitting the West Bengal coastline every year, and the rise in the sea level eroding the islands of the Sundarbans, experts say climate change is one of the factors pushing people into poverty and driving trafficking.
Five tropical cyclones have battered the West Bengal coastline since May 2020, when cyclone Amphan devastated the coastal areas of West Bengal, causing loss of livelihoods and triggering migration. The most recent among them was cyclone Dana, which hit the State’s coastline on October 24, 2024.
“Climate change has become a factor of human trafficking, especially in vulnerable regions such as the Sundarbans. Back-to-back cyclones like Amphan and Yaas destroyed livelihoods, forcing increased migration, and exposing women, girls and others to greater risks,” Nihar Ranjan Raptan, founder secretary, Goranbose Gram Bikash Kendra, an NGO working to combat trafficking, said.
Mr. Raptan said that traffickers exploited socio-environmental vulnerabilities and a community’s limited access to essential services. “From our work across districts and parts of the Sundarbans, we see the urgent need to create opportunities and facilitate access to support systems for those in need,” he said.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) latest report, 58,871 people were reported missing from West Bengal in 2022, and 53,655 of them were women. Among the missing were 12,455 children in West Bengal, and 67 cases of human trafficking were reported with 78 victims in 2022. The NCRB data for the same year shows a conviction rate of 55% in human trafficking cases in the State.
Several stakeholders from ILFAT (Integrated Leaders Forum Against Trafficking), including Nihar Ranjan Raptan, feel that the fight against trafficking should integrate climate change as a factor for effective interventions. ILFAT is one of the biggest federations of trafficking survivors, comprising over 2,800 members across seven States.
The ILFAT released a report on trafficking on July 30, 2024, World Anti-Human Trafficking Day. The report points out that the number of human trafficking cases reported in West Bengal in 2020 was 59, which increased to 61 in 2021, and rose to 67 in 2022. In 2022, 60 females and 18 males aged below 18 years were trafficked, ILFAT said.
Ramadhar Sarthi, an ILFAT member, said that climate change triggers disasters, including floods, droughts and cyclones, forcing vulnerable communities to migrate and lose their livelihoods.
“This exposes impoverished populations to the risk of exploitation by traffickers as many are lured by promises of better wages. Women and children are particularly at risk during migration from villages to cities, where vulnerability to human trafficking increases,” Mr. Sarthi said.
Shakila Khatun Katakhali, director, Katakhali Empowerment Youth Association said that poverty induced by climate change drives trafficking.
“We have been working on child protection, and women development and empowerment, for many years. We have supported numerous young girls and women who were trafficked and later rescued by the police. In our collective, Bijoyini, we currently have 28 female trafficking survivors from the Hasnabad and Hingalganj areas of the Sundarbans. A large number of them were pushed into poverty by climate change,” Ms. Khatun said.
Neha (name changed), an ILFAT member and trafficking survivor, narrated the turn her life took after cyclone Amphan (May 2020) ravaged her village in Sundarbans, and she left with a person who promised her job in other States.
“When I left, I thought I was going to work. Little did I know I was being sold to another person. The cyclone changed everything for me. It destroyed my future,” Ms. Neha said. She was rescued and now she actively works with ILFAT, spreading awareness against trafficking in the Sundarbans.
Ms. Neha said that schools could serve as hubs not only for community awareness, but integrating prevention of trafficking into the curriculum, and fostering resilience against climate change in the younger generation. ILFAT stakeholders have also been focusing on policy interventions and stricter anti-trafficking laws, alongside improved disaster relief efforts to combat organised crime, including human trafficking.