30th July is observed by the UN as the World Against Trafficking in Persons Day.  This year’s theme was ‘Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind’. On Episode 10 of the Foreign Policy Podcast Beyond Nation and State on Suno India, we talk about the scale of this crisis in South Asia in particular where a quarter of the world’s population lives today. 

Independent journalist and host Smita Sharma spoke to celebrated photojournalist Smita Sharma who has documented the human trafficking network and crisis across South Asia in her powerful book We Cry in Silence. The book documents the trafficking of underage girls across South Asia and has won the Photography Book of the Year Award of Excellence by Pictures of the Year International and was listed in the Top 10 Photo Books by the International Center of Photography. The episode focuses on how the human trafficking network thrives, legal and policing loopholes,  the socio-cultural perceptions of survivors of trafficking, responsible reporting of human trafficking and more. 

Tune in to the Suno India App to listen to all episodes of Beyond Nation And State. You can also listen in to the weekly episodes on Apple and Spotify podcasts.