Would you describe the political system in West Bengal as gender sensitive, responsive to womens concerns?
Anuradha Talwar: Let me tell you gender does not exist as a plank for any political party here. The indifference comes through clearly in the parties election manifestos, which have little to say about womens concerns. The same attitude shows in other issues, from the high number of women trafficked from this state to non-implementation of reservation of jobs for women under NREGA. IPS: What is West Bengals record in trafficking? AT: It is alarmingly high. In fact, it could well be said that the state leads in trafficking. In March 2009, the government, in a statement, said the number of trafficked women stands at 65,000. Out of them, 20,000 have been traced. The rest are missing. IPS: What explains the high incidence? AT: At the core of the problem is poverty stoked by sluggish job creation, rampant unemployment. In 1985, villagers could find work on both mono and multi-crop land. With the number of working days shrinking over the years, villagers are forced to migrate to Kerala, Andh
