Slumdog Millionaire has been the media buzz again today, but this time the hype isn’t over the film or the portrayal of life in India’s slums, but of allegations of the trafficking of one of the films child stars.
At the center of all the hype was 9 year-old, Rubina Ali, as stories flooded across international media channels today, about her father allegedly trying to sell her to an Arab couple for around $300,000, by her father Rafiq Qureshi. The story at the center of the controversy was from the UK’s News of the World undercover investigation, which allegedly led to the offer to ‘sell’ Rubina for adoption to the undercover couple. Both Rubina and her father have denied the allegations. Rafiq has now made statements to attest that while he had received offers from parties willing to pay to ‘adopt’ the child, that none were being seriously considered.
While the story will now undoubtedly remain under close media scrutiny and investigation by the …., it serves to highlight the extreme situation of desperation in India’s slums and how poverty fuels human trafficking. In the February 26, 2009 posting, The Reality of Slumdog Millionaire’s, the issue of treatment for the young starts was raised many believed the child stars were not adequately cared for and protected from the Oscar winning films aftermath. Concerns have been raised since the filming began not only over the treatment and exploitation of the children by the film’s producers, but also their own families. So while some may look to the child actors of India’s slums as being given a chance at a prosperous future thanks to being quite literally plucked from the streets for the film, others see the children as exploited and many just see their moment of fame as false hope. The fate of all of Slumdog Millionaire’s young stars remains to be seen, and it not only depends on fortune and fame, but their families, communities and their ability to gain a full education and escape the cycle of of so many families who find themselves with little options for escape from life in the slums.
Rubina Ali’s, father was quoted then saying:
“I am very happy the movie is doing so well but it is making so much money and so much fame, and the money they paid us is nothing. They should pay more.” (Herald Sun)
The case of Slumdog Millionaire, illustrates the clear and unbinding hold that poverty has on the families of the child stars. Poverty has led millions of parents across the globe feel they can no longer carry the burden weighing on their shoulders, and soon one finds themselves turning to their children as a tool to escape the desperation of hunger and the feeling of hopelessness. Children are turned out to work for the survival of the family, often they are sent to the fields, into brick factories, on to the streets to beg, to the mines, or to the lakes to fish, and even worse many are literally sold into slavery. Rubina Ali appears to have escaped this fate, however this is not the fate for millions of Indian children. UNICEF estimates that some 12.6 million children are engaged in hazardous jobs, leaving India with the largest number of child laborers in the world under 14 years-old.
India is a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking, the high numbers of chid trafficking outside of the country is attributed to India’s porous border with Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. However according to a study conducted by Shakti Vahini, “Trafficking in India” (2006), 10% of human trafficking is external, while almost 90% is internal.
See also, India’s Real Slumdog Millionaire
