Organ Trafficking In Assam: Who Are The Targets?

Incidents of human kidney trading have been reported in Assam recently that has raised serious concern among the people in the state. The government has also come under pressure as busting out the root of this illegal trade has become the need of the hour.

The fact that the root cause for the illegal organ trading that the state have reported is said to be the financial crisis due to the Covid-19 situation, a large section of general public is starting to question the leading government as to why no financial assistance had been given to the poor section of people yet.

With new organ trading busted in Nagaon and Dibrugarh after Morigaon, question on why there is no immediate arrest of those who are allegedly involved in the case has also come up against the government.

As the covid pandemic hit India's economy to a great extend, Assam too had to go through its share of economic crisis. And this economic crisis had stopped the only ways of earning for a lot of people from the poor section.

Amid this deadly pandemic, on July 12, the state has reported a case of human organ trading in South Dharamtal of Morigaon. While busting this illegal trading, it came into light that a broker circle took about 30 people to GMCH first from where they issued an official letter for kidney transplantation creating fake identities. The broker circle took about 30 people of Morigaon to Narayan Hriday which is in the name of Rabindranath Tagore in Kolkata and promised a contract of Rs 5 to 6 lakh in return of illegal trading of human kidney.

On Wednesday, similar cases of kidney selling came into light from other districts of Assam as well. Sellers of kidneys has been found in Nagaon and Dibrugarh today where the root cause for this organ selling has yet again been the poor financial situation. A man named Pranjal Bordoloi has been alleged to be behind this illegal organ trading in Nagaon and another, Plaban Borthakur has been arrest in Morigaon organ trading incident.

Organ Trafficking

Organ trafficking is possibly one of the most covert forms of human trafficking that is going on in this world. A global shortage of organs has driven the industry to rely on poor populations to be donors and wealthy population to be recipients.

Targets of Organ Trafficking

The target of organ trafficking in the world is general the poor and vulnerable population who becomes victim to this horrible trading. There are several incidents where people are put under anesthesia and then they wake up to find their organs missing, or are even murdered for organs.

According to a research study of the United Nations, it is most common for victims of organ trafficking to be recruited through brokers, who are individuals who recruit organ suppliers and connect them with organ recipients.

Recruiters/brokers are usually people who may be from the same communities or ethnicity of a vulnerable population so as to build trusting relationships easier. The brokers then make promises to the organ suppliers like large sums of money or release from debt, and convince them that the organ is not needed. Specifically in the case of kidneys, the most commonly harvested organ from living donors, recruiters will tell victims that the kidney will grow back. This is what a study revealed in the United Nations back in 2005, and is just similar to what the data in Assam's Kidney trading in these past couple of days have revealed too.

Victims rarely receive the full amount of money promised, if they receive any compensation at all and this has been the situation with the Morigaon Kidney sellers as well.

There are also victims who "willingly" sell organs and are sometimes treated as criminals involved in an illegal transaction, which would be trafficking in organs.

This criminalization is a deterrent for victims to pursue their compensation when they have been recruited and exploited by brokers, says research studies.

Assam amid the covid 19 pandemic has become subject to several illegal trades and trafficking. And with this new incident of organ trading coming into light, will the state face darker days in the coming years?

Also Read: Assam: Golaghat Extends Lockdown Till July 15