2.3 Million Indians Trafficked in the Last 10 Years.

NEW DELHI, India, APRIL 1, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Indian bishops’ conference recalled Church teaching on human dignity, in the face of statistics revealing that 2.3 million Indians, mostly women, have been trafficked in the last 10 years.

Statistics released by a group based in New Delhi showed that young girls are those most victimized by human trafficking in India.

According to a news articles posted on the Web site of the Indian bishops: “One of the primary reasons for the intensification of the crime is poverty which often forces minors and parents to give away their kids for this illegal trade.”

The article cites a U.N. report that among India’s prostitutes — also estimated at 2.3 million prostitutes — some 40% are younger than 18 years old.

The article mentioned that poor people are often lured by false promises of a secure job. Or they can simply be forced into prostitution.

“Human trafficking is not only unacceptable in a civil society,” the article said, “but is also a blatant violation of human rights of the universal human right to liberty and integrity and security of the person and other universal human rights as well.”