UP, Bihar, and AP are among the top states in between 2016 and 2022, according to a new report.


Child Trafficking


The study, which was issued on Sunday to commemorate the 'World Day Against Trafficking in Persons,' provided a bleak picture of the country's child trafficking epidemic.

According to the survey, the top three states with the highest number of children trafficked between 2016 and 2022 are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh.

While the report showcased a significant surge in child trafficking cases across various states, Uttar Pradesh stands out with a staggering increase in incidents.

 

The number of reported incidents in the pre-Covid phase (2016-2019) was 267, but it rose sharply to 1214 in the post-Covid phase (2021-2022).

Similarly, Karnataka witnessed an 18-fold increase, soaring from 6 to 110 reported incidents.

Notably, from pre-Covid to post-Covid, child trafficking cases in Delhi increased by 68%.

Jaipur City appeared as the country's top district in child trafficking, while the other four top positions on the list were discovered to be in the national capital.

 

The data gathered by Games24x7's data science team draws from KSCF and its partners' interventions in child trafficking cases across 262 districts in 21 states from 2016 to 2022, providing a comprehensive overview of the current trends and patterns in child trafficking.

 

During this period, as many as 13,549 children under the age of 18 were rescued who also form a sample size of some of the analysis.

 

The report revealed that 80 per cent of the rescued children fell within the age group of 13 to 18 years, while 13 per cent were aged nine to 12 years, and over 2 per cent were even younger than nine years.

 

This indicated that child trafficking affects children of various age groups, making it a pervasive issue.

 

The report also shed light on the industries where child labour is rampant.

Hotels and dhabas employ the maximum number of child labourers (15.6 per cent), followed by the automobile or transport industry (13 per cent), and garments (11.18 per cent).

 

The report said children as young as five and eight years were found to be engaged in the cosmetic industry.