New Delhi: There is a Nithari hidden in every locality. "It is not a question of one locality. There is a Nithari (the notorious scene of serial killings of children and women in Uttar Pradesh) in every locality," said Mr Ajeet Singh, President of Guria, a non-government organisation fighting trafficking of women and children in UP and MP.

He was addressing a campaign against trafficking of women and children held at Press Club of India here yesterday. In their pursuit of creating mass awareness against human trafficking, Guria in partnership with Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (Teen Murti House, New Delhi) is launching a worldwide concert series titled Chupe hain Nithari Kai on June 24 at Teen Murti house auditorium.

Padma Bhusan Girija Devi, Padma Vibhushan Pandit Kishan Maharaj, Singer Ustad Ashish Khan and Pandit Chhannu Lal Mishra are supporting the crusade by participating in the programme.

Stating economic condition, gender inequality and social malpractices are the root cause of human trafficking, Mr Singh demanded more social participation in addition to active functioning of state to root out the evil from the country. Trafficking means the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of person by force or other forms of coercion for the purpose of exploitation.

The second largest organised international crime in the world trafficking is a multimillion dollar industry. India is a source, destination and transit country and every year a large number of women and children are trafficked both interstate, intra state and inter country.

The present human rights violations exacerbated by destruction of livelihood, malnutrition, starvation leads to denial of full citizenship rights and thus creates fertile ground for unsafe migration and trafficking. This violates a person's fundamental right to life with dignity, not to mention rule of law, said Mr Singh.

According to a study by the National Human Rights Commission, about 73,000 children are recorded missing in India every year. In most cases the victims are from the lowermost strata of the society - Scheduled Castes,Scheduled Tribes or dalits having monthly income less than Rs 2000 . Most of the time police either refuse to take complaint from these poor people or do not follow up the cases for their speedy recovery said Mrs Jyotsna Chatterji, director and secretary of an NGO Joint Womens Programme, India.

Ashish Khan asserted the support of elite sections of society like artists in eradication of this social menace. Rukhmani, the mother of a three-year-old, missing since a year from a village in eastern UP, recounted her complaints against the state functionaries.