Social media networks fuel human trafficking in TN

Human trafficking gangs in Tamil Nadu have increasingly turned to social media platforms, including Whatsapp, to recruit young women into the sex trade, a study conducted as part of a PhD thesis has revealed.

- HD Bureau

The research, carried out by M Premanand from the University of Madras's Criminology department, highlights a disturbing trend where these illicit networks exploit social media to both attract victims and solicit exploiters.

Premanand’s study involved surveys of 76 women who were survivors of trafficking and living in government-run homes in cities like Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchy, Salem, and Coimbatore.

In addition to the survivors, 85 convicts and under-trials, including women, held in prisons across Tamil Nadu, were also part of the study.

The victims of human trafficking came from various backgrounds—half of them were from Tamil Nadu, while the rest hailed from other states including West Bengal, Bangladesh, and beyond.