Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Karachi (Agenzia Fides) – To live with a disability in a city like Karachi is already a hardship. Now there is the added issue of trafficking in disabled people, destined to beg in the neighbouring villages. In a statement recently released by the Pakistani police in the Khairpur district of Sindh, hundreds of disabled people are being trafficked, many coming from the southern province of Sindh, and destined for Iran. In recent months, about 300 people with disabilities in the Asian country have been trafficked with the intention of making them beg, but there are fears that may be many more. “The gang of traffickers is spreading throughout the province,” said Salam Dharejo, the head of the NGO for the protection of the rights of working children.
Trafficking is a growing problem in both the districts of Khairpur and Shikarpur. In Iran, Pakistani people with disabilities, both children and adults, are begging outside the shrines or mosques. Others are simply kidnapped with a consequent demand for ransom. According to the 2010 report on human trafficking, by the State Department of the United States, Pakistan is known as a 'Tier 2' country, which is one of those “whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Acts, but which are making significant efforts to achieve compliance with these standards.” (AP) (15/3/2011 Agenzia Fides)
