Mumbai Woman Who Was Trafficked To Pakistan 22 Years Ago Returns Home

Hamida Banu, a mother of four, including two daughters, had gone to work as a cook in Qatar. In 2002, a recruitment agency promised her job prospects in Dubai. Instead, they trafficked her to Karachi, where she lived in the streets or sometimes, at the mosque. Her story remained hidden till 2022 when a YouTuber discovered her and drew widespread attention to her plight.

Meet The 'God-Sent' Youtuber 

Walliulluh Maroof, 29, the Imam of a mosque in Karachi’s Manghopir, brought Hamida's story to the world. Driven to help, he began a quest to trace her family. Walliullah interviewed her on his YouTube channel in 2022 which sparked international concern. 

According to Maroof, Hamida Banu visited his home and narrated her story. He recorded an 11-minute video of her and posted it on YouTube and Facebook, urging viewers to help locate her family. “In July 2022, I connected with Khalfan Shaikh, an Indian YouTuber, who identified Hamida Banu’s family,” he said.

Subsequently, the Indian Embassy in Pakistan contacted Maroof and Hamida Banu was taken to the embassy, where officials probed her to verify her identity. On November 25, 2023, Maroof received another call from the embassy, confirming her Indian citizenship had been verified and arrangements were being made to facilitate her return to India.

Fast forward to December 16, 2024, Maroof and Hamida Banu travelled from Karachi to Lahore by flight. From there, they journeyed to the Wagah border by road, where she was handed over to Indian authorities and finally sent back to her homeland.

Reunion Moment

Hamida's daughters took the Amritsar Express from Mumbai to Amritsar to meet their lost mother at the Wagah Border. Her son, who works in Karnataka, shared how the family was against her working abroad. But, Hamida Banu, was a determined woman to give her family the best she could provide for them, Hamida is an exemplary example of the everyday sacrifices women make in their life in their role as mothers.

Hamida Was Not The Only One

The situation was a fine case of the iniquitous system of human trafficking. Hamida Banu recounted that there were five women trafficked with her. Three of them were young and were sold by the traffickers. Hamida, being older, was left behind in a hut while the human traffickers fled. 

“After Hamida, I found another woman named Shahnaz, originally from Bangalore, residing in the Pak Colony area of Karachi. I was able to locate Shahnaz’s family and even spoke to her daughters. However, the challenge lies in proving her Indian citizenship."

Maroof added, "When Shahnaz was trafficked to Pakistan her children were very young, and they did not have any documents to establish her identity as an Indian. Despite this, Shahnaz belongs to India, and I am committed to finding a way to help her return."

2024: Still Bleak in terms of Human Trafficking

Till October 2024, a total of identified 3,094 illegal agents are there in the country, who give the people from lesser privileged groups, the hope of a better life for their families. People often fall into the traps due to the exchange rate factor.

According to the 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons shared by the United Nations,

• In 2022, 61% of trafficking victims detected worldwide were female.
• Adults continue to be the most detected age group, and adult females make up 39% of all detected victims. 
• At the same time, girls make up a significant 22% of the total detected victims.
• 74% of the traffickers operated as groups and networks loosely connected in a business-type criminal relation or as structured criminal organizations.
• Non-organized criminals account for about 26% of traffickers convicted.