Manual for Training Police on Anti Human Trafficking

Facilitating Change
At this point it is significant to accentuate among your participants that mostly survivors of CSE are
women. In addition to the generic survivor rights that must be ensured, it is of utmost importance to
address issues of gender sensitivity among the participants. For a survivor-sensitive response to be built
and sustained, it is important that participants are able to understand their responses in the larger
social context of discrimination that women face.
3. GENDER SENSITIVITY
The facilitator should discuss the following points with the participants so that they are made aware of
the direct relation between gender issues and human trafficking. Since a vast majority of trafficked
persons <strong>for</strong> CSE are women, being aware of the roots and issues of women’s discrimination allows us to
better understand why they are placed at greater risk of exploitation. Facilitate discussion to come to a
clear understanding as to what s/he can do to address these issues instead of pushing the blame on to
others and feeling helpless.
Trafficking as a <strong>for</strong>m of exploitation has its roots in unjust social and patriarchal value systems
that have devalued/marginalizing women and overestimated capabilities of men.
A combination of religious sanction, social practices, traditional values and unequal power equations
have also paved the way towards greater discrimination against women.
The confusion of gender and biological roles, and the consequent categorization of gender roles
based on the division of sexes, has greatly defined/limited the activities of men and women.
The division of labour between men and women in society is based on their biological ‘roles’ which
results in assigning women to ‘reproductive’ roles (childbirth, child-rearing, household maintenance)
and men to ‘productive roles’ (tasks with economic value, earning money etc.)
While commonly, men per<strong>for</strong>m income generating tasks, women per<strong>for</strong>m care-giving and nurturing
roles.
Even where women are engaged in productive tasks, i.e. income generating activities, it is largely
seen as their secondary task.
The incidence of female feticide, dowry deaths, domestic violence against women, sexual harassment
of women at the workplace, evidence of glass ceiling concept in the workplace, etc. are all
manifestations of this discrimination.
Female foeticide and female infanticide has caused skewed sex ratio in the population. In many
such places, marriage bureaus are reportedly indulging in trafficking and sale of women.
EXERCISE
Power Relation and Gender
Estimated time : 30 mins
Material required : Some sheets of paper to write on
Methodology : Group exercise
Expected outcome : Participants understand the relationship between ‘power’ and (its
implications) on violence. They would have analyzed it vis-à-vis the
situation of a trafficked survivor
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