Contact Admin. One of the most important questions we can ask is this: Can a history of regional military conflict contribute to the rising rate of human trafficking, specifically sex-trafficking in the Kashmir region.
The answer is yes. Conflict in the region of Kashmir has been an ongoing part of Kashmiri society for six decades as bordering nations have sought to gain power in the region. But the ongoing military violence has brought displacement, poverty, exclusion and lack of opportunity to women and girls in the region.
Facing this and many other crimes, including rape, women had little power to report crimes committed against them inside the region.
Many women, who were only girls during the skirmishes of s, are now trying to find better financial situations for themselves and their families, but there is a problem. Due to conflict in the region, many of these women are the only heads-of-household. This places pressure on the children to help their mothers financially. She chose to become a sex-worker in Kashmir, as well as working as a prostitute in New Delhi, India, to come to the aid of her mother.
Her personal situation, growing up in a family that was increasingly plagued by poverty, is very common for most women in her profession. From her breast she pulled out a packet of cigarettes, a disposable lighter and lit up one. She inhaled some puffs deeply as if some of her fears would exhale. The smoke curled out of her mouth and within no time she threw away the half smoked cigarette. Heena, who is now years-old, is known as Sonia by customers who meet with her in her profession as a sex-worker.
