Key accused in human trafficking case arrested ~ Bridal Slaves Rescue & Restore campaign

EMPOWER PEOPLE is an NGO in India working to protect female victims of violence and mitigate post-violence trauma. EMPOWER PEOPLE is one of the pioneer organizations focusing on the issue of human trafficking for the purpose of forced marriage.

What is also called "bride trafficking" affects a yet unknown number of girls, particularly from poor backgrounds, who are deceived and trafficked to be sold as brides. According to information gathered by EMPOWER PEOPLE, a middleman seeks an agreement on an arranged marriage with the family of the girls. Later those girls are transferred to another places where there is a high demand of brides, like Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan where they are known as "Paro" or "Molki" (literally perched woman).

The main focus of EMPOWER PEOPLE lies on awareness raising and sensitization trainings for law enforcement agencies. The organization is also offering direct victim support and assistance to women vulnerable to human trafficking and domestic violence.

EMPOWER PEOPLE is currently developing projects of community engagement and rehabilitation of trafficking victims in both source and destination areas in seven states of India.

Visit www.empowerpeople.org.in

Key accused in human trafficking case arrested

SURAT: Imtiyaz alias Babu Bavla, the key accused in the human trafficking scam, has been arrested by the police from Karjan in Vadodara district on Monday. Imtiyaz and his accomplice Rizvan Gulam Patel, who was also arrested along with the former, were then produced before a court here, which remanded them in police custody for four days. The scam came to light during the ongoing investigation into the hawala network.

Imtiyaz, Rizvan and Bilal Saleh have so far sent around 300 youths from south Gujarat to African countries using fake documents, police claimed. TOI