Stop Blood Farming in India | BRAC Fight for Protection and Justice

1. Introduction: The Urgency of Ending Blood Farming
In hidden rooms, illegal clinics, and secret facilities across India, a cruel form of human use continues to destroy lives. Blood farming—one of the most shocking crimes against human dignity and safety—continues to harm vulnerable people every year. According to documented cases and investigations, victims are trapped, caged, and forced to give blood repeatedly, often twice per week for years, while healthy donors should give blood only once every eight to twelve weeks.

Each case represents a person whose freedom was stolen. A poor worker looking for a job gets locked in a house and forced to give blood. A homeless person desperate for money gets trapped by promises of payment that never comes. A person struggling with addiction becomes a target for blood dealers who see them only as a product. These attacks cause weakness, anemia, infections, organ damage, and psychological trauma that affects victims physically, emotionally, and socially for their entire lives.

The crisis hits the poorest and most vulnerable hardest. Most victims of blood farming are poor migrants, homeless people, drug users, and others living on the edges of society who lack family protection and legal knowledge. In 2008, seventeen people were rescued from a blood farm in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, where they had been caged and forced to give blood at least twice per week for two and a half years. Among cities, Delhi has seen major blood scam cases at premier government hospitals including AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital, where blood dealers operated networks involving hospital staff.

The reasons behind blood farming are deeply troubling. Criminals run these operations to make money from selling blood at high prices, exploiting desperate families who need blood for loved ones, taking advantage of India’s shortage of safe blood supply, and profiting from the gap between legal blood banks and illegal black markets. According to investigations, illegal blood can sell for fifteen times the government rate, creating huge profits for criminals. In 2025, investigations in Madhya Pradesh uncovered black markets operating openly outside top government hospitals including Hamidia Hospital, AIIMS Bhopal, and multiple cancer hospitals, where blood was sold without any medical checks or identification.

The harm extends beyond physical damage. Victims face months of health recovery, severe anemia requiring treatment, risk of infections from unclean equipment, and psychological trauma including fear, depression, and loss of trust. Many lose time they could have spent working, earning, and supporting families. Families bear the emotional burden of seeing loved ones disappear or return damaged. Communities suffer when criminals operate freely and vulnerable people live in fear.

Despite laws against human trafficking, wrongful confinement, and causing hurt that were strengthened in 2023 with new criminal codes, blood farming continues. The gap between the law on paper and reality on the ground remains wide. Illegal blood sales still happen openly near major hospitals. Cases move slowly through courts. Victims struggle to get justice and compensation. Many victims lack access to the medical care and support they desperately need.

2. Understanding the Issue: The Scope and Impact of Blood Farming
Blood farming in India represents a specific form of human use and trafficking designed to extract blood for illegal sale. Understanding the full scope requires examining who is affected, why operations happen, where they occur most, what victims endure, and the deep impact on individuals, families, and communities.

The Scale of the Crisis: Current Statistics and Trends
The data on blood farming and illegal blood trade reveals troubling patterns.

In a significant milestone for 2024-25, India collected 1.46 crore units of blood, meeting its annual requirement for the first time and representing a 15 percent increase over the previous year. However, this national achievement masks a fragile system. Historically, the country has faced an average annual shortage ranging from one to four million units, and even now, roughly 30 percent of collections depend on family members donating for specific patients rather than voluntary donors. This reliance on replacement donation, combined with a history of shortage, keeps the blood supply unstable and allows the illegal sale of blood to remain a problem.

The illegal blood market operates on a massive scale. If we take the estimated shortage and replacement donor needs of roughly three million units and multiply by the street value of fifteen dollars per unit, the illegal blood market could be worth as much as forty-five million dollars or roughly three hundred seventy-five crore rupees annually. These official numbers likely represent only a portion of actual illegal blood operations. Many cases go unreported because victims fear speaking out, families need blood urgently and don’t ask questions, police sometimes fail to investigate properly, or victims lack the strength and knowledge to pursue justice while fighting to recover.

Documented rescue cases show the severity. In 2008, seventeen victims were rescued from a blood farm in Gorakhpur where they had been held for two and a half years, forced to give blood at least twice per week when safe donation is once every eight to twelve weeks. In 2009, six men were arrested in a blood scam at AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, where they sold blood at inflated rates and procured blood illegally from unverified sources including ragpickers and drug addicts. In 2013, two children with thalassemia died and twenty-one others were diagnosed with HIV after one unlicensed blood bank was found transfusing contaminated blood.

Investigation findings reveal widespread operations. In 2025, NDTV’s Operation Blood investigation in Madhya Pradesh found black market blood sales operating openly outside top government hospitals including Hamidia Hospital, AIIMS Bhopal, Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital, JP Hospital, and Navodaya Cancer Hospital. Blood was offered without medical verification, identification requirements, or proper prescriptions. Auto drivers, security guards, parking attendants, and pharmacy staff acted as brokers connecting buyers to suppliers.

Looking at blood bank infrastructure shows gaps. In December 2021, India had eight hundred twenty-four registered blood banks across eight northern states. However, one hundred seventy-two blood banks, representing twenty-two percent, did not provide regular updates or provided updates at longer than monthly intervals, suggesting poor monitoring and potential spaces for illegal operations. Blood shortages persist despite collection improvements, with demand estimated at 40.9 million units or eighty-five donations per one thousand people according to Lancet reports.

Geographic Distribution and High-Risk Areas
Blood farming and illegal blood trade are not spread evenly across India.

Uttar Pradesh has documented major cases. The 2008 Gorakhpur blood farm case near the Nepal border involved seventeen victims held in a house and forced to give blood repeatedly. Uttar Pradesh’s large population, poverty levels, migration patterns, and proximity to international borders create conditions where trafficking and exploitation thrive.
Delhi shows persistent illegal blood networks. The 2009 blood scam at AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital involved organized networks with connections to hospital security, blood bank staff, and outside brokers. The capital’s high medical demand, presence of premier hospitals attracting patients from across India, and large population of poor migrants and homeless people create a market for illegal blood.
Madhya Pradesh investigations reveal open black markets. The 2025 NDTV Operation Blood found illegal sales at multiple hospitals in Bhopal including Hamidia Hospital, AIIMS Bhopal, Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital, JP Hospital, and Navodaya Cancer Hospital. These operations function with such efficiency that they appear almost institutional, with established networks of brokers, suppliers, and handlers.
Bihar has seen trafficking cases. Hari Kamat, an impoverished artisan from Bihar, was one of seventeen victims rescued from the Gorakhpur blood farm. Bihar’s extreme poverty, high rates of migration for work, and vulnerable populations make residents targets for trafficking.
Other high-risk areas include Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Rajasthan, states with high poverty rates, tribal populations, migration patterns, limited government services, and trafficking networks. Major cities across India likely have illegal blood operations near large hospitals where demand is high and desperate families will pay any price.

Profile of Victims and Affected Communities
Not everyone faces equal risk of blood farming exploitation.

Poor migrants seeking work face the highest risk. The Gorakhpur victims were all poor migrants lured with promises of jobs, then trapped and forced to give blood. People traveling to find work often lack family protection, local connections, knowledge of their rights, and money to escape bad situations.
Homeless and street populations are vulnerable. Blood scams in Delhi targeted ragpickers, homeless people, and others living on streets who could be paid small amounts for blood without questions asked. These populations lack stable housing to recover, family support, access to medical care, and ability to report crimes.
Drug users and people with addictions become targets. Criminals seek out people desperate for money to feed addictions, knowing they will donate repeatedly for small payments and are unlikely to complain to police. Addiction clouds judgment and makes people more willing to accept dangerous deals.
Day laborers and construction workers living in temporary housing face risks. These workers often live in crowded, informal settlements, work without proper contracts, lack savings, and have limited education and legal awareness. Traffickers can easily approach them with fake job offers or payment promises.
Tribal communities in remote areas experience vulnerability. Some tribal populations face poverty, geographic isolation, limited education, lack of government document access, and discrimination that makes them easy targets and unlikely to get help.

Forms and Methods of Blood Farming Operations
Blood farming takes several forms in India.

Captive blood farms involve complete confinement. Victims are locked in houses or facilities, prevented from leaving, forced to give blood on schedules set by operators, given inadequate food and rest, and beaten if they resist. The Gorakhpur case exemplified this model with victims caged like animals.
Professional donor exploitation uses repeat donors. Blood banks or dealers pay small amounts to people who donate repeatedly, far more often than safe intervals. Dealers can see multiple needle marks on arms showing repeated donation but ignore safety and look the other way. While victims are not locked up, poverty and addiction trap them into continuing the dangerous pattern.
Hospital-based illegal networks operate through corruption. Blood touts station themselves outside hospitals, security guards and staff act as brokers, blood is procured from unverified donors, proper testing may be skipped or faked, and official stamps and barcodes are placed on illegal blood bags. These networks function semi-openly because bribes and connections protect them.
Black market blood sales involve dealers who collect from various sources including professional donors, trapped victims, and stolen blood bank supplies. They sell to desperate families at inflated prices ranging from three thousand rupees to fifteen thousand rupees per unit compared to government rates of two hundred to one thousand rupees. No medical verification, identification, or prescription is required, only cash payment.
Unlicensed blood banks operate without authorization. Some facilities collect, store, and distribute blood without proper licenses, safety testing, storage equipment, or trained staff. The 2013 case where unlicensed blood caused HIV infections and deaths of children shows the deadly consequences.

Root Causes and Drivers of Blood Farming
Understanding why blood farming happens is key to prevention.

Blood supply shortages create demand. India historically faces shortages averaging one million units annually despite recent collection increases. When families cannot get blood through legal blood banks for emergency surgeries, cancer treatment, or accident victims, desperation makes them willing to pay any price to illegal dealers.
Replacement donor system creates pressure. India’s system often requires patients to provide donors from family or friends for each unit needed. Poor families without large networks struggle to find donors, pushing them toward paying blood touts. Criminals exploit this system by offering donor arrangement services.
Poverty drives both supply and demand. Extreme poverty makes vulnerable people willing to sell blood repeatedly for small payments. The same poverty means families cannot afford proper medical care, creating a market where both victims and buyers are desperate.
Weak enforcement allows operations to continue. Police investigations are inadequate, corruption protects criminals, monitoring of blood banks is insufficient, penalties are rarely enforced, and victims are too afraid or unsure to report crimes. When blood dealers operate openly outside major hospitals without arrests, it signals that authorities either don’t care or are complicit.
High profits incentivize criminals. Blood obtained for seven dollars or less per unit from trapped victims can be sold for eighteen dollars or more to blood banks and hospitals. On the street, blood sells for forty-eight to one hundred dollars per unit. These profit margins make blood farming attractive to organized crime.
Lack of voluntary donation culture creates gaps. Only seventy percent of India’s blood comes from voluntary donation, with the rest from replacement donors. Many people fear donating, believe myths about blood donation weakening them, lack awareness about safe donation, or simply never consider donating. This voluntary donation gap creates space for illegal blood trade.

The Devastating Physical Impact on Victims
The physical harm from blood farming is severe and lasting.

Repeated blood extraction causes severe anemia. Forcing people to give blood sixteen times monthly when safe donation is once every eight to twelve weeks prevents the body from replacing blood cells and iron. Victims become extremely weak, unable to work or function normally, and suffer organ damage from oxygen deprivation.
Malnutrition worsens health decline. Blood farm operators provide inadequate food to victims, both to save money and to keep victims too weak to escape. Without proper nutrition, bodies cannot replace lost blood, leading to progressive deterioration.
Infection risks are extremely high. Unsterilized needles used repeatedly, unclean conditions, lack of proper medical procedures, and no testing for diseases means victims face hepatitis, HIV, and other blood-borne infections. The 2013 case where twenty-one children contracted HIV from one unlicensed blood bank shows these deadly risks.
Organ damage occurs from chronic anemia. When blood oxygen-carrying capacity stays too low for extended periods, the heart must work harder, leading to heart damage, kidney function decline, liver problems, and brain damage from inadequate oxygen.
Physical weakness prevents work. Victims become too weak to perform even basic tasks, losing ability to earn income, care for themselves, and maintain health. Recovery after rescue takes months and requires proper nutrition, rest, and medical treatment.
Needle damage and scarring mark arms. Repeated needle insertions cause visible scarring, collapsed veins, infections at injection sites, and permanent evidence of the abuse suffered.

Psychological and Emotional Trauma
The mental health impact is profound and lasting.

Captivity trauma causes deep psychological damage. Being locked up, beaten, and treated like an animal rather than a human being destroys victims’ sense of self and safety. The Gorakhpur victims described feeling like they were in a dairy farm, caged and milked regularly.
Loss of freedom and dignity creates despair. Victims lose control over their own bodies, choices, and lives, leading to feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. The experience of being used purely as a product for blood extraction is deeply dehumanizing.
Fear and anxiety persist after rescue. Victims worry about being captured again, fear that criminals will come after them, struggle to trust others, and experience panic when approached by strangers.
Anger and resentment toward society develops. Victims feel society abandoned them, police failed to protect them, nobody cared about their suffering, and poverty made them targets. This anger can make reintegration difficult.
Shame prevents victims from seeking help. Many victims feel ashamed of being trapped, blame themselves for falling for fake promises, fear others will judge them, or worry people will see them as weak. This shame keeps victims silent and prevents them from getting support.
Trust issues affect all relationships. After being betrayed by people who promised help or jobs, victims struggle to trust anyone, making it hard to accept genuine assistance, form new relationships, or reintegrate into communities.

Social and Economic Impact on Families and Communities
The effects extend far beyond individual victims.

Families lose income when victims disappear. Victims who migrated for work stop sending money home, leaving families without support, unable to pay for food and basic needs, and forced to borrow money. Children may be pulled from school when families cannot afford fees.
Search costs burden families. When someone disappears, families spend money traveling to search, paying police to file reports, hiring lawyers, and sacrificing work time to look for missing loved ones.
Stigma affects entire families. When word spreads that a family member was trapped in a blood farm or sold blood, neighbors may avoid the family, children face bullying at school, and marriage prospects for siblings decline.
Community fear limits freedom. When blood farming happens in an area, it creates fear that prevents vulnerable people from seeking work, accepting job offers, or trusting outsiders. This fear limits economic opportunities and development.
Normalization of exploitation weakens social bonds. When blood farming operations function openly without consequences, it signals that powerful people see the poor as disposable. This weakens social cohesion and mutual support systems.

Your donation to BRAC helps address this crisis comprehensively. It funds rescue operations that free trapped victims, immediate medical care that treats anemia and infections, psychological counseling that heals trauma, legal aid that brings criminals to justice, livelihood programs that help victims and families become financially secure, and prevention campaigns that stop blood farming before it happens.

3. Legal Framework: Laws and Policies Protecting Against Blood Farming
India has developed a legal framework to prevent human trafficking and exploitation, punish perpetrators, and support victims. This framework combines criminal law provisions, regulations on blood banks, and victim support schemes. However, gaps between law and enforcement persist.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON INDIAN CRIMINAL LAW (AS OF 2025):
On July 1, 2024, India implemented a new set of criminal laws. All criminal legal references in this article are based on these current laws :

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which replaces the Indian Penal Code (IPC)
The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, which replaces the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)
The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023, which replaces the Indian Evidence Act
All references to the old IPC and CrPC are no longer valid for current legal matters.

Constitutional Protections: The Foundation
The Indian Constitution provides fundamental protections that form the basis for laws against blood farming and human exploitation.

Article 21 – Right to Life and Personal Liberty guarantees every person the right to life and personal liberty, which the Supreme Court has interpreted to include the right to live with dignity, bodily safety, and freedom from exploitation. This article provides the constitutional foundation for protecting citizens from blood farming and forced blood extraction.
Article 23 – Prohibition of Traffic in Human Beings and Forced Labor specifically prohibits trafficking in human beings and forced labor, making such practices constitutionally impermissible. Blood farming falls directly under this prohibition as it involves trafficking people and forcing them to give blood against their will or under coercion.
Article 14 – Equality Before Law guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of laws, requiring the state to protect all citizens equally from exploitation regardless of economic status, preventing discrimination in law enforcement that allows crimes against the poor to go unpunished.
Article 39(e) – Directive Principles directs state policy to ensure that citizens’ health and strength are not abused and that citizens are protected from exploitation, requiring government action against blood farming.

Criminal Law Provisions: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023
The new criminal code contains specific provisions addressing trafficking, wrongful confinement, causing hurt, and exploitation.

Section 143 – Trafficking of Persons specifically criminalizes human trafficking for exploitation. This section provides strict punishment up to life imprisonment for trafficking offenses. The section states that whoever recruits, transports, harbors, transfers, or receives a person by using threats, force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power, or inducement for exploitation including forced labor, slavery, or any act that violates human dignity shall be punished.
Punishment is rigorous imprisonment for a term not less than seven years but which may extend to ten years, and fine. Where trafficking involves a child, punishment is imprisonment not less than ten years but which may extend to life imprisonment and fine. Beggary has been introduced as a form of exploitation under trafficking provisions, and blood farming would similarly constitute exploitation.
Section 137 – Kidnapping covers situations where people are taken or enticed away under false pretenses. When blood farming operators lure people with fake job promises then trap them, this constitutes kidnapping. Punishment is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years and fine.
Section 140 – Kidnapping or Abducting in Order to Subject Person to Slavery specifically addresses taking people to subject them to slavery or conditions of servitude. Blood farming where victims are held captive and forced to give blood repeatedly constitutes slavery. Punishment is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years and fine.
Section 127 – Wrongful Confinement comprehensively addresses all forms of wrongful confinement where someone wrongfully restrains a person in such a manner as to prevent that person from proceeding beyond certain circumscribing limits. Holding victims in blood farms constitutes wrongful confinement. This section contains multiple subsections with escalating punishments based on severity. Basic wrongful confinement is punishable with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both. When confinement lasts three days or more, punishment extends to three years or fine up to ten thousand rupees. When confinement lasts ten days or more, punishment extends to five years and fine not less than ten thousand rupees. Specifically relevant to blood farming, when wrongful confinement is for the purpose of extorting from the person confined any property or valuable security or constraining the person to do anything illegal, punishment is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and fine.
Section 115 – Voluntarily Causing Hurt covers causing bodily pain, disease, or infirmity. Forcing repeated blood extraction that causes anemia, weakness, and health problems constitutes voluntarily causing hurt. Punishment is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees, or both.
Section 117 – Voluntarily Causing Grievous Hurt applies when hurt causes serious harm. If forced blood extraction causes permanent health damage, organ failure, or conditions endangering life, it constitutes grievous hurt. Punishment is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years and fine.
Section 118 – Voluntarily Causing Hurt by Dangerous Weapons or Means applies when hurt is caused using instruments or means likely to cause death. Using non-sterile needles that risk transmitting HIV or hepatitis could fall under this provision. Punishment is imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or fine, or both.

Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994
While primarily focused on organ transplantation, this Act establishes important principles relevant to blood and bodily integrity.

The Act prohibits commercial dealing in human organs and establishes that removal of any human organ must be for therapeutic purposes only. Section 19 makes commercial dealing in human organs punishable with imprisonment for a term not less than five years but which may extend to ten years, and fine not exceeding one crore rupees.
Though blood is not classified the same way as solid organs, the Act’s prohibition on commercial dealing in body parts establishes legal principles against commodifying human bodies. Some legal experts argue these principles should extend to blood farming operations.

Blood Bank Licensing and Regulation
Blood banks in India require licenses and must meet safety standards. The Drugs and Cosmetics Act regulates blood as a biological product. Unlicensed blood banks operating without authorization face penalties including closure, fines, and imprisonment of staff. However, enforcement remains weak with inadequate inspection and monitoring systems.

Landmark Court Cases on Human Trafficking and Exploitation
While no major Supreme Court judgment specifically addresses blood farming, several cases establish principles protecting people from exploitation and trafficking. Courts have consistently held that human dignity is fundamental, exploitation violates constitutional rights, and state has duty to protect vulnerable populations from trafficking and slavery-like conditions.

Enforcement Gaps and Challenges
Despite strong laws, implementation remains weak.

Blood farming largely unreported and unprosecuted: Most blood farming cases never reach police because victims fear retaliation, lack knowledge of rights, face threats from criminals with police connections, or are too traumatized to come forward. Police often fail to recognize blood farming as trafficking or treat it as a minor dispute.
Illegal blood trade operates openly: Despite laws prohibiting sale of blood, black markets function openly outside major hospitals with networks of touts, brokers, and suppliers. The 2025 NDTV investigation found illegal blood sales at multiple hospitals with no police intervention.
Corruption protects criminals: Blood scam investigations in Delhi found that criminals had phone contacts with doctors, security staff, and blood bank personnel. Some private blood banks were accused of putting official stamps on illegal blood bags. This corruption allows operations to continue.
Weak blood bank monitoring: With twenty-two percent of blood banks not providing regular updates on stock and operations, monitoring is clearly inadequate. There are insufficient inspectors to monitor blood banks across the country, and inspections are reactive rather than proactive.
Victims lack support services: Even when rescued, victims struggle to access medical treatment for anemia and infections, psychological counseling for trauma, compensation for suffering, and livelihood support to rebuild lives. Most victims simply disappear back into poverty without any help.
Low conviction rates: The few blood farming and illegal blood trade cases that reach courts result in minimal convictions. Criminals hire lawyers while victims cannot afford representation, investigations gather poor evidence, witnesses face intimidation, and cases drag on for years until witnesses disappear or evidence degrades.

Donate to BRAC to fund our legal aid programs that help victims navigate the complex legal system, ensure police register cases and investigate properly, assist in pursuing compensation, provide lawyers for prosecution support, file public interest litigation to strengthen enforcement, and advocate for policy reforms that close gaps between law and reality. Your support ensures laws designed to protect people actually work.

4. Challenges: Barriers to Eliminating Blood Farming
Despite legal frameworks and occasional investigations, eliminating blood farming faces serious challenges operating at social, economic, institutional, and cultural levels. These connected barriers create an environment where exploitation continues.

Social and Cultural Barriers

Devaluation of poor and vulnerable lives: Deep-rooted attitudes treat poor migrants, homeless people, and addicts as disposable or less valuable than others. When society doesn’t see these populations as fully human and deserving of protection, crimes against them seem less serious. This makes preventing blood farming difficult because communities don’t view it as completely unacceptable.
Social invisibility of victims: The people targeted for blood farming exist on the edges of society. They have no stable addresses, no powerful family connections, no community standing, and no voice in public discussions. Their disappearance or suffering goes unnoticed because nobody is watching or caring about them.
Acceptance of exploitation of the poor: In many contexts, people accept that poor people must endure bad conditions, dangerous work, and exploitation to survive. This acceptance creates space for blood farming to be seen as just another unfortunate thing poor people experience rather than a serious crime requiring urgent intervention.
Victim blaming shifts responsibility: When blood farming cases come to light, some people ask why victims accepted job offers without verification, went with strangers, or didn’t escape sooner. This shifting of responsibility from criminals to victims allows society to avoid confronting the real causes and protects perpetrators from full condemnation.
Stigma prevents victims from speaking: Rescued victims often face shame and stigma rather than support. People avoid them, question their character, or treat them as damaged goods. This stigma keeps victims silent about their experiences and prevents others from coming forward.
Normalization of desperate choices: In conditions of extreme poverty, people must make desperate choices to survive. Society has become so used to seeing poor people do dangerous things for money that blood farming operations can claim victims are willing participants, obscuring the coercion and exploitation involved.

Economic and Practical Challenges

Blood supply shortages create markets: India’s historical shortages of safe blood, averaging one million units annually, create conditions where illegal blood trade thrives. When demand exceeds legal supply, black markets develop to fill gaps.
Replacement donor system creates pressure: The system requiring patients to provide donors for each unit needed puts impossible burdens on poor families with small networks. This pressure creates demand for blood touts who can arrange donors, feeding criminal networks.
High profits incentivize operations: Blood obtained from trapped victims for tiny amounts can be sold for ten to fifteen times more to blood banks and hospitals, and up to fifty times more on the street. These enormous profit margins make blood farming attractive to organized crime.
Poverty creates both supply and demand: Extreme poverty makes people vulnerable to trafficking while also making families desperate enough to buy illegal blood without questions. Both sides of the market are driven by poverty.
Lack of voluntary donation culture: Only seventy percent of blood comes from voluntary donation, with gaps filled by replacement donors who may be paid or coerced. Building a culture of truly voluntary regular donation takes years of education and trust-building.
Economic dependence traps victims: Even when not physically locked up, poverty and debt trap people into repeatedly selling blood. Without alternatives for earning money, they continue dangerous donations despite health consequences.

Institutional and Enforcement Failures

Police inaction and corruption: Police often fail to investigate missing persons from poor and vulnerable communities, dismiss complaints, or are paid to ignore illegal blood operations. The Delhi blood scam showed criminals had extensive contacts with hospital and police personnel.
Inadequate blood bank monitoring: With insufficient inspectors, outdated tracking systems, and twenty-two percent of blood banks not providing regular updates, monitoring is clearly failing. Authorities cannot detect illegal operations they are not actively looking for.
Lack of coordination between agencies: Blood farming involves trafficking (police jurisdiction), health violations (health department), and medical crimes (medical council), but these agencies rarely coordinate. Cases fall through gaps between agencies with no one taking responsibility.
Weak investigation capacity: Even when police investigate, they often lack training in trafficking cases, fail to gather proper evidence, don’t understand medical aspects, and cannot penetrate criminal networks. This results in weak cases that don’t lead to convictions.
Judicial delays: The few cases that reach courts move extremely slowly. Witnesses disappear over years-long trials, evidence degrades, and criminals use delays to intimidate witnesses or bribe officials. Many cases simply collapse after years of waiting.
No victim support infrastructure: India lacks specialized services for trafficking and exploitation victims. There are no dedicated recovery centers, very few trained trauma counselors, no systematic follow-up, and no livelihood programs targeted at rescued victims. Without support, victims cannot recover or participate in prosecutions.

Vulnerability and Power Dynamics

Migration for work increases risk: Economic necessity drives millions to migrate seeking work, separating them from family protection and making them targets for traffickers with false promises. The very act of seeking a better life creates vulnerability.
Legal invisibility of poor and vulnerable groups: Many victims lack identity documents, voter cards, ration cards, or bank accounts. This legal invisibility means their disappearance leaves no paper trail and they cannot access government services or protections.
Power imbalances enable exploitation: Criminals running blood farming operations have money, connections, and power while victims have none. This massive power imbalance means victims cannot resist, escape, or seek justice without outside help.
Language and literacy barriers: Victims are often illiterate or speak only regional languages, while legal and medical systems operate in English and Hindi. These barriers prevent victims from understanding rights, reading documents, or navigating systems.
Trust in authorities destroyed: Poor and vulnerable communities have experienced decades of police harassment, official indifference, and discrimination. This destroyed trust means victims don’t believe authorities will help them even when they could.
Addiction as control mechanism: Blood farming operations targeting people with addictions use drugs as control mechanisms, making victims dependent and compliant. Breaking free requires both escaping physical confinement and addressing addiction.

Medical and Health System Gaps

Hospital complicity or willful ignorance: Some hospitals and blood banks accept blood from touts without proper verification, effectively supporting illegal operations. Whether through corruption or turning a blind eye to meet demand, this complicity enables blood farming.
Lack of universal blood testing: Not all blood collected undergoes rigorous testing for HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases. This creates space for unsafe blood from illegal sources to enter supply. The 2013 case where contaminated blood caused HIV infections shows these gaps.
Private blood bank profit motives: Some private blood banks prioritize profits over safety, accepting questionable blood sources, paying touts for donors, and cutting corners on testing. This profit motive drives demand for cheap illegal blood.
Emergency blood needs override caution: When patients need emergency blood for surgeries or trauma, hospitals and families prioritize getting blood immediately over verifying its source. This urgent need creates markets where illegal blood can be sold without questions.

Your contribution to BRAC helps overcome these challenges by addressing root causes. We work to change social attitudes through community education campaigns, strengthen voluntary blood donation to eliminate shortages, provide support services that victims desperately need, strengthen enforcement through legal aid and advocacy, build victim networks and peer support systems, and advocate for policy reforms that close gaps. Every rupee donated moves us toward a system where blood farming becomes impossible and victims get full support to heal and thrive.

5. Solutions: Building a Blood-Farming-Free India
Eliminating blood farming requires a complete strategy addressing prevention, immediate response, victim support, changes to the fundamental system, and social transformation. BRAC implements an integrated “Five Pillars of Protection” model based on evidence and experience.

Pillar 1: Prevention and Community Awareness Programs
Preventing blood farming before it happens is the most effective approach.

Community Education and Awareness Campaigns:

Village and Neighborhood Outreach: We conduct intensive awareness campaigns in high-risk areas across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Delhi using street theater, posters, films, and community meetings to educate people about blood farming, trafficking tactics, and legal rights.
Migrant Worker Programs: We implement education programs at railway stations, bus stands, and labor gathering points teaching workers how to verify job offers, recognize trafficking signs, keep family informed of location, and access help if trapped.
Homeless and Street Population Outreach: We conduct sessions with homeless shelters, street communities, and addiction recovery centers warning about blood dealers, teaching safe ways to earn money, and providing information on voluntary blood donation opportunities that are safe and legal.
Youth and School Programs: We implement education programs teaching young people about trafficking dangers, human rights, safe migration practices, and how to help family members who may be at risk.
Community Leaders Engagement: We partner with respected religious leaders, local officials, and community figures to publicly condemn blood farming, spread awareness messages, and use their moral authority to shift attitudes about protecting vulnerable community members.
Media Partnerships: We work with local media including newspapers, radio, and TV to spread awareness messages, share victim stories that build understanding, and highlight legal consequences for criminals running blood farming operations.

Early Warning and Protection Systems:

Missing Persons Rapid Response: We establish networks where families can immediately report missing members, triggering searches, police notification, and alerts to shelters and hospitals across likely trafficking routes.
Safe Migration Information: We provide phone hotlines and online resources where people can verify job offers, check employer credentials, report suspicious recruitment, and get advice before accepting work in unfamiliar places.
Shelter Networks: We work with homeless shelters, rescue homes, and welfare facilities to create safe spaces where vulnerable people can stay protected rather than sleeping on streets where they are easy targets.
Community Watch Programs: We mobilize communities to watch for suspicious activities, strangers offering too-good-to-be-true job opportunities, people being held against will, and vehicles transporting people in concerning circumstances.
Hospital Blood Bank Monitoring: We conduct monitoring campaigns outside major hospitals to identify blood touts, document illegal sales operations, report to authorities, and warn families about dangers of buying unverified blood.

Building Voluntary Blood Donation Culture:

Blood Donation Camps: We organize regular voluntary blood donation camps at workplaces, colleges, community centers, and religious institutions, making donation convenient, safe, and socially valued rather than feared.
Donor Education Programs: We teach people that donating blood once every eight to twelve weeks (approximately three months) is safe and healthy, requires only thirty to forty-five minutes, saves up to three lives per donation, and causes no weakness if donor is healthy and well-fed.
Recognition and Appreciation: We celebrate regular voluntary donors, provide certificates and recognition, organize donor appreciation events, and build social status around donation to counter myths and fears.
Corporate Blood Donation Programs: We partner with companies to organize workplace donation drives, provide leave for donation, create donor clubs, and integrate blood donation into corporate social responsibility.
Online Blood Donor Registry: We maintain databases connecting donors with patients in need, facilitating direct contact, reducing replacement donor burdens, and eliminating need for blood touts.

Pillar 2: Immediate Rescue and Emergency Response
When blood farming is discovered or victims escape, rapid response minimizes harm and saves lives.

24/7 Anti-Trafficking Emergency Helpline:

Multi-Language Service: Our helpline operates in Hindi, English, Bengali, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, and other regional languages, accessible via phone, WhatsApp, and our website at brac.in.
Rescue Coordination: Anyone discovering blood farming operations or escaping confinement can call for immediate rescue, police coordination, and safe shelter arrangement.
Family Support: We provide immediate support to families whose members have disappeared, helping them file missing persons reports, navigate police systems, and access search resources.
Legal Documentation: We guide callers on preserving evidence, documenting conditions, identifying perpetrators, and protecting legal rights from the first moments.
Counseling Support: Trained counselors provide initial psychological support to victims and families during crisis periods.

Rescue Operations and Police Coordination:

Rapid Response Teams: When blood farming operations are discovered, our teams coordinate with police anti-trafficking units to conduct raids, free victims, and arrest perpetrators.
Safe Housing Network: We maintain relationships with shelter homes across India that can immediately house rescued victims, providing safety, medical care, food, and protection while cases are investigated.
Evidence Collection: We help collect and preserve evidence including photographs of confinement conditions, medical documentation of victim health status, testimony from rescued victims, and financial records of criminal operations.
Victim Protection: We work with police to ensure witness protection, preventing perpetrators and associates from threatening or harming victims who testify.
Media Advocacy: When appropriate, we work with media to publicize rescue operations, building public pressure for prosecution and highlighting the reality of blood farming.

Emergency Medical Care:

Health Assessments: Rescued victims receive immediate comprehensive medical examinations checking for anemia, infections, organ damage, HIV and hepatitis status, and malnutrition.
Anemia Treatment: We provide iron supplements, nutritious food, blood transfusions if needed, and medications to rebuild red blood cell counts and restore health.
Infection Treatment: Victims showing signs of hepatitis, HIV, or other blood-borne infections receive appropriate testing, treatment, and ongoing medical management.
Nutrition Support: We provide high-protein, iron-rich meals and nutritional supplements to help victims rebuild strength and health.
Mental Health Crisis Intervention: Psychologists provide immediate crisis counseling to address trauma, prevent self-harm, and begin the healing process.

Pillar 3: Comprehensive Medical and Psychological Rehabilitation
Recovery requires long-term support addressing physical, psychological, and social healing.

Medical Treatment and Health Recovery:

Partnership with Medical Facilities: We partner with government hospitals, community health centers, and charitable clinics that provide ongoing treatment at subsidized rates.
Ongoing Anemia Management: Victims receive months of iron supplements, dietary guidance, regular blood count monitoring, and treatment adjustments until full recovery.
Infectious Disease Treatment: For victims who contracted HIV, hepatitis, or other diseases, we provide antiretroviral therapy, antiviral medications, monitoring for complications, and linkage to long-term treatment programs.
General Health Restoration: We ensure victims receive treatment for any health problems including dental care, vision correction, treatment of chronic conditions, and general wellness support.
Addiction Treatment: For victims with substance use issues, we provide detoxification support, counseling for addiction, linkage to recovery programs, and ongoing support to maintain sobriety.
Preventive Care: We provide vaccinations, health education, hygiene supplies, and preventive services to protect victims from future health problems.

Psychological Healing and Mental Health Support:

Individual Trauma Counseling: Our trained psychologists provide one-on-one counseling using trauma-informed approaches that help victims process experiences, manage depression and anxiety, and develop healthy coping strategies.
PTSD Treatment: We provide specialized treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder including cognitive behavioral therapy, processing of traumatic memories, and management of flashbacks and nightmares.
Trust Rebuilding Therapy: Counselors work with victims to slowly rebuild trust in others, distinguish between dangerous and safe people, and form healthy relationships again.
Peer Support Groups: We facilitate support groups where rescued victims meet regularly, share experiences, learn from each other’s healing strategies, and provide mutual encouragement and understanding.
Family Counseling: When victims reconnect with families, we provide counseling to help families understand trauma, provide proper support, avoid harmful behaviors, and rebuild relationships.
Long-Term Mental Health Care: We recognize that psychological healing takes years and provide ongoing support throughout the recovery journey.

Social Reintegration and Confidence Rebuilding:

Life Skills Training: We provide training in communication, self-advocacy, decision-making, financial management, and other skills that help victims regain independence and confidence.
Identity Document Recovery: We help victims obtain or replace identity cards, voter cards, ration cards, bank accounts, and other documents essential for accessing services and opportunities.
Family Reconnection Support: When appropriate and safe, we help victims reconnect with families, mediate relationships, and rebuild family bonds.
Community Reintegration Programs: We work with home communities to reduce stigma, educate neighbors about supporting survivors, and create welcoming environments for return.
Legal Literacy: We teach victims about their legal rights, labor protections, anti-trafficking laws, and how to access legal help if needed in future.

Pillar 4: Economic Empowerment and Livelihood Support
Financial independence is critical for long-term recovery and preventing re-exploitation.

Skills Training and Employment Programs:

Vocational Skills Training: We provide training in marketable skills including mobile phone repair, computer applications, tailoring and garment making, food processing and catering, construction skills, beauty and grooming services, handicrafts and jewelry making, and driving and transportation.
Job Placement Support: We partner with companies committed to inclusive hiring, providing job placement assistance, workplace orientation support, and follow-up to ensure success.
Apprenticeship Programs: We arrange apprenticeships where victims learn trades through hands-on experience with established businesses, building skills, confidence, and professional networks.
Supported Employment: For victims needing extra support, we provide job coaches who help with workplace adaptation, problem-solving, and communication with employers.
Interview Preparation: We provide training in resume writing, interview skills, workplace communication, professional dress and presentation, and career development.
Workplace Rights Education: We teach victims about labor laws, minimum wages, safe working conditions, and how to report problems or exploitation.

Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment Support:

Business Development Training: We provide comprehensive training in business planning, product development, marketing, pricing, financial management, customer relations, and business registration.
Interest-Free Fund: Our program offers interest-free seed funding (Rs. 10,000-50,000) to empower entrepreneurs. This capital helps in starting micro-enterprises, purchasing essential equipment and materials, and building initial inventory without the burden of debt from interest.
Business Mentoring: We connect victim entrepreneurs with experienced business mentors who provide ongoing guidance, problem-solving support, and connections to suppliers and markets.
Cooperative Development: We facilitate cooperatives where victims pool resources, share equipment, access markets collectively, and support each other in business ventures.
Street Vending Support: For victims wanting to start small street businesses, we help obtain licenses, provide carts or equipment, and connect to vendor associations.

Financial Inclusion and Asset Building:

Bank Account Opening: We help victims open bank accounts, understand banking services, and build financial literacy.
Savings Groups: We facilitate savings groups where victims regularly save small amounts, building financial reserves for emergencies and opportunities.
Financial Literacy Training: We teach budgeting, saving, credit management, avoiding predatory lending, and planning for financial goals.
Government Scheme Access: We help victims access welfare programs including below poverty line cards, disability pensions, health insurance schemes, housing support, and employment programs.
Asset Development: We support victims in acquiring productive assets including sewing machines, mobile phone repair tools, bicycles for transportation, and equipment that generates income.

Pillar 5: Legal Reform, Advocacy, and Widespread Change
Long-term elimination requires transforming systems and strengthening accountability.

Legal Aid and Justice Support:

Free Legal Representation: We provide free lawyers to victims for criminal prosecution of traffickers, compensation claims, and any other legal needs.
Police Complaint Support: Our legal team accompanies victims to police stations, ensures cases are registered properly under correct sections including trafficking and wrongful confinement, and monitors investigation progress.
Court Accompaniment: Our staff accompany victims to all court hearings, providing emotional support, explaining procedures, and ensuring their rights and dignity are protected.
Compensation Claims: We handle the complex process of filing and pursuing compensation claims under victim compensation schemes, ensuring victims receive money they are entitled to.
Civil Cases: When appropriate, we file civil cases against perpetrators for damages, helping victims recover financial losses and medical costs.
Witness Protection Advocacy: We work with courts and police to ensure proper witness protection, allowing victims to testify safely without fear of retaliation.

Policy Advocacy and Legislative Reform:

Blood Bank Regulation Strengthening: We advocate for mandatory electronic tracking of all blood collected and distributed, regular inspections of all blood banks, harsh penalties for unlicensed operations, and criminalization of accepting blood from unverified sources.
Anti-Trafficking Law Implementation: We push for recognition of blood farming as a form of trafficking, specialized training for police on blood exploitation cases, fast-track trials for trafficking prosecutions, and enhanced penalties for repeat offenders.
Victim Compensation Enhancement: We advocate for creating compensation schemes specifically for trafficking victims, increasing amounts to cover actual recovery costs, ensuring payment within thirty days of rescue, and simplifying application procedures.
Mandatory Blood Bank Transparency: We work for laws requiring blood banks to publish daily reports on blood collected and distributed, source verification procedures, testing protocols, and connections to donor organizations.
Voluntary Donation Incentives: We advocate for policies that recognize regular voluntary blood donors through certificates of appreciation, priority access to blood when they or family members need it, and integration of blood donation into citizenship awards and honors programs.
Universal Blood Testing Standards: We push for mandatory implementation of advanced testing including Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) that detects infections earlier than traditional tests, uniform quality standards across all blood banks, and centralized testing facilities to ensure consistency.
Blood Banking Consolidation: We support centralizing blood transfusion services under unified legislation rather than fragmented regulations, establishing the National Blood Transfusion Council as the primary regulator, and moving blood away from being regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to specialized blood safety legislation.

Public Interest Litigation and Strategic Cases:

Blood Farming Recognition Cases: We file cases to establish legal precedent that blood farming constitutes trafficking under Section 143 of BNS 2023, deserving harsh punishment and victim compensation.
Hospital Accountability Cases: We file cases against hospitals and blood banks found accepting illegal blood, pushing for license suspension, prosecution of staff, and financial penalties that make complicity unprofitable.
Blood Bank Monitoring Cases: We file Right to Information requests and public interest litigation demanding transparency in blood bank operations, disclosure of donor sources, and publication of inspection reports.
Victim Rights Cases: We file cases establishing precedents for trafficking victim rights including compensation amounts of three lakh rupees under Central Victim Compensation Fund guidelines, medical treatment guarantees, and rehabilitation services.
Fast Track Court Advocacy: Following Supreme Court directives in trafficking cases, we advocate for blood farming cases to be tried in fast-track courts with completion within six months, ensuring swift justice and preventing witness intimidation.

Monitoring, Research, and Documentation:

Blood Farming Data Collection: We systematically document all blood farming cases including victim profiles, locations, methods used by criminals, health impacts, and prosecution outcomes, building a comprehensive database for advocacy and prevention.
Hospital Blood Tout Monitoring: We conduct regular monitoring outside major hospitals in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Bhopal, Lucknow, and other cities, documenting illegal blood sales, photographing operations, and reporting to authorities.
Blood Bank Compliance Monitoring: We track which blood banks provide regular updates on operations, which fail to report, and which show suspicious patterns, reporting findings to regulatory authorities.
Victim Outcome Studies: We track long-term outcomes of rescued victims to understand what interventions work best, what barriers prevent recovery, and how to improve rehabilitation programs.
Policy Impact Research: We conduct studies measuring the effectiveness of existing laws, identifying gaps in implementation, and developing evidence-based recommendations for reform.
Best Practice Documentation: We document successful interventions from India and internationally, creating toolkits and guides for replication across states and organizations.

Collaboration and Partnership Building:

Government Partnership: We work closely with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on blood safety initiatives, Ministry of Women and Child Development on victim rehabilitation, National Human Rights Commission on trafficking investigations, National Legal Services Authority on legal aid and compensation, State Blood Transfusion Councils on improving donation systems, and Anti-Human Trafficking Units on investigation and prosecution.
Hospital and Blood Bank Engagement: We partner with ethical hospitals and blood banks to develop best practices, create whistleblower protections for staff reporting illegal operations, and establish verification systems for blood sources.
Civil Society Networks: We collaborate with anti-trafficking organizations, human rights groups, women’s rights organizations, and health advocacy groups to share information, coordinate campaigns, and strengthen collective impact.
Media Partnerships: We work with investigative journalists to expose blood farming operations, share victim stories that build public awareness, and maintain pressure on authorities to act.
Academic Institutions: We partner with universities and research institutions on trafficking studies, public health research, legal analysis, and policy development.
Corporate Partnerships: We engage companies in workplace blood donation programs, employee volunteer opportunities, funding for victim rehabilitation, and corporate advocacy for policy reform.

6. Societal Impact: The Ripple Effects of Blood Farming
Blood farming creates harm that spreads far beyond individual victims, affecting families, communities, public health systems, and society’s moral foundation.

Damage to Public Health Systems
Illegal blood trade undermines India’s efforts to build safe blood supply systems. When contaminated blood from unverified sources enters the supply, it spreads infections including HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, and malaria to innocent patients receiving transfusions. The 2013 case where twenty-one children with thalassemia contracted HIV from one unlicensed blood bank shows these devastating consequences. Every unsafe transfusion creates new victims who need lifelong medical care, straining health budgets and causing immense suffering.

The presence of illegal blood markets discourages voluntary blood donation. When people see blood being bought and sold like a commodity, it reinforces the false belief that blood has monetary value rather than being a gift of life. This perception makes building a voluntary donation culture much harder, perpetuating shortages that feed illegal trade.

Blood farming also wastes limited health resources. Medical staff time gets diverted to treating anemia, infections, and trauma in rescued victims. Hospital beds that could serve other patients house people recovering from forced blood extraction. Medicines and blood transfusions go to rebuild what criminals destroyed. These resources could have prevented illness and saved other lives.

Erosion of Human Dignity and Social Trust
When society allows blood farming to continue, it sends a message that poor and vulnerable people are disposable. The practice of caging human beings and extracting their blood like dairy animals fundamentally violates human dignity. This normalization of treating people as products damages the moral fabric that holds society together.

Blood farming destroys trust between vulnerable communities and society. When people offering help turn out to be traffickers, when hospitals participate in illegal blood trade, and when police fail to protect or rescue victims, it creates deep distrust that prevents vulnerable people from seeking assistance even when genuinely offered. This breakdown of trust isolates the most vulnerable and makes all social welfare and development programs less effective.

The practice also reinforces harmful attitudes about class and caste. Blood farming targets people from marginalized communities including scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and religious minorities who already face discrimination. When crimes against these groups go unpunished, it reinforces the message that their lives matter less, strengthening the same prejudices that development programs try to eliminate.

Economic Costs and Lost Potential
Blood farming imposes massive economic costs on society. Direct costs include medical treatment for rescued victims, law enforcement investigations, court proceedings, and victim compensation. Indirect costs include lost productivity when victims cannot work during captivity and recovery, family income loss when breadwinners disappear, and resources diverted from productive uses to dealing with crime consequences.

The practice also wastes human potential. Every person trapped in a blood farm represents skills, labor, creativity, and contributions lost to society. Victims who could have been workers, parents, community members, and citizens instead spend months or years having their health destroyed. Even after rescue, many struggle with lasting health problems and trauma that limits what they can achieve.

Families bear heavy financial burdens. They lose income when members disappear, spend savings searching for missing loved ones, borrow money at high interest rates, and fall into debt traps that take years to escape. Children drop out of school when families cannot afford fees, perpetuating cycles of poverty and vulnerability.

Weakening of Law and Order
When blood farming operations function with impunity, it signals that rule of law is weak. Criminals see that trafficking, confinement, and exploitation can be profitable without serious consequences. This emboldens organized crime to expand into other illegal activities.

The corruption that protects blood farming networks also corrupts institutions more broadly. When police accept bribes to ignore crimes, hospital staff facilitate illegal blood trade, and officials look the other way, it creates cultures of corruption that affect many areas beyond blood farming. Citizens lose faith in institutions supposed to protect them.

The failure to prosecute blood farming also discourages whistleblowers and good actors. Hospital staff who might report illegal operations stay silent when they see that nothing changes. Citizens who witness suspicious activities don’t bother reporting when police don’t act. This silence allows crime networks to grow stronger.

Impact on India’s Development and International Reputation
Blood farming damages India’s image internationally. As India seeks recognition as a developed nation and global leader, reports of people being caged and farmed for blood contradict claims of progress and human rights protection. International organizations monitoring human trafficking and modern slavery include these practices in reports that affect India’s reputation.

The practice also undermines India’s health development goals. The government has invested heavily in building blood banking infrastructure, promoting voluntary donation, and ensuring blood safety. Blood farming networks sabotage these investments by maintaining parallel illegal systems that spread disease and discourage voluntary participation.

Blood farming creates obstacles to achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals including ending poverty, ensuring healthy lives, achieving gender equality, promoting decent work, reducing inequalities, and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies. Practices that trap and exploit vulnerable people directly contradict every one of these development aims.

Intergenerational Harm
The effects of blood farming extend across generations. Children whose parents were victimized grow up in poverty and trauma, often dropping out of school and facing limited opportunities. They inherit not only poverty but also distrust of institutions, fear of seeking help, and vulnerability to exploitation themselves.

Families affected by blood farming often face social stigma that follows them for years. Marriage prospects decline for siblings of victims, children face bullying and discrimination, and communities may ostracize entire families. This stigma creates barriers to education, employment, and social mobility that persist across generations.

The normalization of exploitation also affects how young people view human relationships and social obligations. When children see that society tolerates the exploitation of the vulnerable, they absorb lessons about whose lives matter and whose don’t. These attitudes shape the next generation’s values and behaviors.

Your support for BRAC helps address these wide societal impacts by changing attitudes through education campaigns, strengthening health systems through voluntary donation promotion, restoring trust through victim support that shows society cares, promoting rule of law through legal advocacy and prosecution support, protecting India’s development by eliminating practices that contradict progress, and breaking intergenerational cycles through comprehensive family support and livelihood programs. When you donate to BRAC, you invest not just in rescuing individual victims but in healing and strengthening society as a whole.

7. Call to Action: Join BRAC’s Mission to Stop Blood Farming
Blood farming will continue as long as criminals can profit without consequences and victims lack protection. Change requires action from people like you who refuse to accept that any human being should be trapped, caged, and exploited. BRAC has been fighting for justice, dignity, and freedom in India since 2015, and we need your partnership to eliminate blood farming completely.

Why Your Support Matters Now

Victims need immediate rescue and care: At this moment, people may be trapped in blood farms experiencing repeated forced blood extraction that destroys their health. Every day without rescue means more suffering, more anemia, more infections, and deeper trauma. Your donation funds rescue operations, emergency medical treatment, safe shelter, and immediate trauma counseling that saves lives and begins healing.
Prevention stops exploitation before it starts: For every person rescued, dozens more remain vulnerable to trafficking. Your support funds community awareness campaigns teaching people to recognize trafficking tactics, migrant worker education programs that prevent people from falling into traps, homeless outreach that connects vulnerable people to safe resources, and voluntary blood donation drives that eliminate the shortages criminals exploit.
Systemic change requires sustained advocacy: Laws exist but remain poorly enforced. Blood touts operate openly outside hospitals without arrest. Cases move slowly through courts. Your donation funds legal aid ensuring victims get justice, public interest litigation forcing government accountability, policy advocacy strengthening blood safety regulations, and monitoring programs documenting violations and demanding action.
Long-term rehabilitation rebuilds lives: Rescue is just the beginning. Victims need months of medical treatment for anemia and infections, psychological counseling to heal trauma, skills training and livelihood support to achieve financial independence, and ongoing support as they rebuild their lives. Your contribution ensures we provide comprehensive care for as long as needed.

Ways to Support BRAC’s Anti-Blood Farming Mission

One-Time Donations: Immediate Impact:
Your generous one-time donation creates immediate change for victims and vulnerable communities.

₹2,000 provides emergency medical assessment and initial treatment for one rescued blood farming victim including blood tests, anemia evaluation, and basic medicines to begin health recovery.
₹5,000 covers one week of comprehensive care for a rescued victim including safe shelter, nutritious meals, medical treatment, and trauma counseling to stabilize physical and mental health.
₹15,000 funds a complete awareness campaign in one high-risk village including street theater performances, poster distribution, community meetings, and migrant worker education reaching approximately five hundred people with life-saving prevention information.
₹35,000 provides three months of medical treatment and psychological counseling for one blood farming survivor including anemia correction, infection treatment, trauma therapy, and beginning of social reintegration support.
₹75,000 supports complete vocational skills training and job placement for one rescued victim including three months of training in marketable skills, tools and equipment, job search support, and six months of follow-up ensuring successful employment and financial independence.
₹1,50,000 funds a comprehensive six-month rehabilitation program for one blood farming survivor including all medical treatment, psychological counseling, skills training, job placement, legal support for prosecution and compensation, and ongoing case management ensuring complete recovery and successful reintegration into society.

Monthly Donations: Sustained Change:
Monthly donations provide stable funding that allows us to plan and sustain long-term programs.

₹1,000 per month supports ongoing awareness and prevention programs in high-risk communities, funding regular outreach activities, educational materials, and community mobilization that prevent trafficking before it happens.
₹3,000 per month provides medical care and psychological counseling for one rescued victim throughout their recovery journey, ensuring they receive consistent support for as long as needed to heal physically and emotionally.
₹5,000 per month funds livelihood support programs including vocational training, business development, seed capital, and employment support that help multiple victims achieve financial independence and rebuild their lives.
₹10,000 per month supports comprehensive programs including rescue operations, victim rehabilitation, legal aid, policy advocacy, and community prevention, allowing BRAC to maintain all five pillars of our anti-blood farming work.

Volunteer and Engagement Opportunities

Join BRAC as a volunteer: We need people with skills in counseling, legal aid, medical care, social work, community organizing, communications, research, and administration. Volunteers receive training and work directly on programs that transform lives. Contact us at partner@brac.in to learn about current opportunities.
Become a BRAC Ambassador: Raise awareness in your networks, organize workplace blood donation drives, speak at schools and colleges about trafficking prevention, and mobilize your community to support our mission. We provide materials, training, and support for ambassadors.

Advocacy and Awareness Building

Spread awareness on social media: Share information about blood farming, BRAC’s work, and how others can help. Follow BRAC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and amplify our campaigns to reach more people.
Organize awareness events: Host screenings of documentaries on trafficking, organize discussions about blood safety and voluntary donation, and coordinate fundraising events with proceeds supporting BRAC’s mission.
Advocate for policy change: Write to elected representatives demanding stronger enforcement of anti-trafficking laws, better blood bank regulation, increased funding for victim rehabilitation, and fast-track prosecution of blood farming cases.
Promote voluntary blood donation: Organize blood donation camps at your workplace, college, or community, educate people about the safety and importance of voluntary donation, and help build the culture of giving that eliminates shortages criminals exploit.

Transparency and Accountability
BRAC is deeply committed to using every rupee responsibly and transparently.

85% program allocation: We commit that at least eighty-five percent of donations go directly to programs benefiting victims and vulnerable communities through rescue operations, medical care, counseling, legal aid, rehabilitation, prevention campaigns, and livelihood support. Only fifteen percent covers essential administration and fundraising costs.
Annual reporting: We publish detailed annual reports showing how funds were used, how many victims were helped, what programs were implemented, what outcomes were achieved, and what challenges remain. Reports are available at brac.in/reports.
Independent audits: Our accounts undergo annual independent audits ensuring financial integrity and compliance with all legal requirements. Audit reports are available to donors upon request.
Donor communication: We keep donors informed through regular email updates, impact stories, and invitations to visit programs. We believe donors have a right to see the impact of their generosity.

Tax Benefits for Donors
BRAC is registered under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, providing tax benefits to donors.

80G tax deduction: Donations to BRAC qualify for fifty percent deduction under Section 80G, reducing your taxable income and your tax liability.
Donation receipts: We provide official donation receipts within seven business days of receiving contributions, including all information needed for tax filing.

How to Get Started Today
Taking action is simple and makes an immediate difference.

Donate online: Visit www.brac.in/donate-now to make a secure online donation using credit card, debit card, net banking, UPI, or digital wallets. The process takes less than two minutes.
Call us: Speak directly with our team at +91 7977386674 to discuss how you can help, learn more about our work, arrange larger donations, or explore partnership opportunities.
Email Inquiries: Write to at partner@brac.in or info@brac.in to ask questions, request more information, discuss volunteer opportunities, or share ideas for collaboration.
Follow BRAC on social media to join the movement to stop blood farming in India.

Together, we can create an India where no person is ever trapped and exploited for their blood, where the vulnerable are protected rather than preyed upon, where health systems are safe and ethical, and where every person lives with dignity and freedom. Your action today changes lives tomorrow.

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What exactly is blood farming and how does it differ from voluntary blood donation?
Blood farming is a form of human trafficking and exploitation where people are trapped, often through false job promises, and held captive while being forced to give blood repeatedly for sale on the black market. Victims may be locked in rooms or buildings, prevented from leaving, beaten if they resist, and forced to give blood as often as twice per week when safe donation is only once every eight to twelve weeks. In contrast, voluntary blood donation involves a person freely choosing to donate blood at a licensed blood bank after health screening, giving once every eight to twelve weeks (approximately three months), receiving proper medical care during donation, and giving blood as a gift to save lives rather than for payment. The key differences are consent, freedom, safety, and frequency.

Q2: How common is blood farming in India?
Precise statistics are difficult to obtain because most cases go unreported, but documented cases and investigations reveal that blood farming and illegal blood trade are widespread problems. The illegal blood market in India is estimated to be worth hundreds of crores of rupees annually based on the gap between blood supply and demand multiplied by black market prices. Major rescue cases have occurred in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and other states. Investigations in 2025 found illegal blood sales operating openly outside major government hospitals in multiple cities. The problem likely affects hundreds if not thousands of victims each year across India.

Q3: Who is most at risk of becoming a victim of blood farming?
The most vulnerable populations include poor migrants traveling to cities seeking work who lack family protection and local connections, homeless and street populations who can be exploited without anyone noticing their disappearance, people with drug addictions who can be controlled through addiction and small payments, day laborers and construction workers living in temporary housing without stable support systems, tribal community members in remote areas facing poverty and isolation, and anyone living in extreme poverty who might accept risky opportunities out of desperation. Essentially, blood farming targets people who are socially invisible, economically desperate, and unlikely to have resources to resist or seek help.

Q4: What are the health consequences for blood farming victims?
The health effects are severe and sometimes permanent. Victims suffer from severe anemia causing extreme weakness and inability to work, malnutrition due to inadequate food provided by captors, infections from unsterilized needles including HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and other blood-borne diseases, organ damage including heart, kidney, liver, and brain damage from chronic anemia and poor oxygenation, collapsed veins and scarring from repeated needle insertions, and weakened immune systems making them vulnerable to many illnesses. Even after rescue, victims need months of medical treatment including iron supplements, nutritious food, medications, and sometimes blood transfusions to rebuild their health. Some suffer permanent damage that affects them for life.

Q5: What laws protect people from blood farming in India?
India has strong laws but weak enforcement. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, which replaced the Indian Penal Code on July 1, 2024, contains multiple relevant sections. Section 143 criminalizes human trafficking including for exploitation such as forced labor with punishment up to life imprisonment. Section 140 addresses kidnapping to subject people to slavery with punishment up to ten years. Sections on wrongful confinement, causing hurt, and causing grievous hurt also apply with punishments ranging from one to seven years depending on severity. The Constitution’s Article 23 prohibits trafficking and forced labor. However, enforcement is weak with most cases unreported, police often failing to investigate properly, corruption protecting criminals, and few convictions even when cases reach court.

Q6: How does BRAC help blood farming victims?
BRAC provides comprehensive support through our “Five Pillars of Protection” model. First, we conduct prevention programs including community awareness campaigns, migrant worker education, and promotion of voluntary blood donation. Second, we operate a twenty-four-hour helpline and coordinate rescue operations with police to free trapped victims. Third, we provide emergency medical care treating anemia and infections, psychological counseling for trauma, and safe shelter. Fourth, we offer long-term rehabilitation including continued medical treatment, mental health support, skills training, job placement, and livelihood programs that help victims achieve financial independence. Fifth, we provide free legal aid for prosecution of criminals and victim compensation claims, conduct policy advocacy for stronger laws and enforcement, file public interest litigation, and work to transform systems that allow blood farming to continue.

Q7: How can I verify if someone offering me a job is legitimate and not a trafficking scheme?
Protect yourself by following these guidelines. First, verify the employer by checking if the company is registered, searching online for the company name and reviews, calling the company’s official phone number listed online rather than numbers provided by recruiters, and asking for a written job offer with company letterhead and details. Second, be suspicious of offers that sound too good to be true including very high salaries for unskilled work, promises of immediate placement without interviews, demands for advance payment, or pressure to decide immediately without time to verify. Third, stay connected by telling family and friends exactly where you are going including full address and contact details, keeping your phone charged and checking in regularly, and never allowing anyone to take your phone or identity documents. Fourth, meet in public places and never go to isolated locations alone for interviews. If something feels wrong, trust your instincts and refuse the offer.

Q8: Why does India have blood shortages that create markets for illegal blood?
India faces blood shortages for multiple interconnected reasons. First, voluntary blood donation culture is weak with only about seventy percent of blood coming from voluntary donors and the rest from replacement donors where patients must find donors for each unit needed. Second, myths and fears prevent donation including beliefs that donating weakens the body, causes health problems, or is dangerous when in reality healthy people can safely donate every eight to twelve weeks (approximately three months). Third, the replacement donor system creates pressure because poor families with small networks struggle to find donors for each unit needed. Fourth, blood has a short shelf life of only thirty-five to forty-two days, requiring constant collection. Fifth, demand is high with approximately 1.46 crore units needed annually for surgeries, accident victims, cancer treatment, childbirth complications, and blood disorders. When legal supply cannot meet demand, black markets develop to fill the gap, and criminals exploit this by farming people for blood.

Q9: What happens to the blood collected from blood farming victims?
Blood extracted from captive victims typically enters illegal supply chains. Some blood goes to unethical or corrupt blood banks that pay low prices and resell to hospitals at higher rates without proper testing or verification. Some is sold directly by blood touts to desperate families outside hospitals who cannot get blood through legal channels, with prices ranging from three thousand to fifteen thousand rupees per unit compared to government rates of two hundred to one thousand rupees. Some blood may be mixed with legally collected blood, contaminating the supply. Because this blood often isn’t properly tested for HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, and other infections, it creates serious health risks for anyone receiving transfusions. The 2013 case where contaminated blood from an unlicensed source caused HIV infections in twenty-one children with thalassemia, killing two, demonstrates these deadly consequences.

Q10: How can I support the end of blood farming beyond making a donation?
There are many ways to help. First, promote voluntary blood donation by donating regularly yourself every eight to twelve weeks if healthy, organizing blood donation camps at your workplace or community, educating others about the safety and importance of voluntary donation, and helping build a culture where enough people donate voluntarily to eliminate shortages. Second, spread awareness by sharing information about blood farming on social media, talking with family and friends about trafficking dangers, particularly warning young people and those considering migration for work, and following BRAC on social media to amplify our campaigns. Third, advocate for change by writing to elected representatives demanding stronger enforcement of anti-trafficking laws and better blood bank regulation, supporting victims’ rights campaigns, and joining public campaigns for justice in specific cases. Fourth, volunteer your skills by offering professional services like legal aid, counseling, medical care, communications, or administration support. Fifth, report suspicious activity by calling police or BRAC’s helpline if you see blood being sold illegally outside hospitals, notice suspicious confinement of people, or encounter recruitment that seems like trafficking.

Remember, your support—whether financial, volunteer time, awareness-building, or advocacy—makes a real difference in protecting vulnerable people and eliminating blood farming. Together, we can build an India where every person lives with dignity, safety, and freedom, and where the vulnerable are protected rather than exploited.

Disclaimer:
This article is written in simple language to be accessible to a general audience and is not a judicial or formal document. For clarity and to keep it short, we sometimes summarize legal provisions rather than citing them in full. While we have tried to ensure accuracy, this article is for general awareness and education only—not legal advice. If you find any error in this article, please email us at info@brac.in with the exact words or sentences that need correction. We welcome feedback to ensure accuracy. Laws may vary across states and are subject to change; readers should seek qualified legal advice for specific cases. The plans and work presented are based on BRAC’s research-driven proposals and illustrative projections. They do not represent outcomes of current or ongoing programs. This model illustrates the scale of impact that could be achieved with your support and regular donations. Actual results may differ depending on available resources, external conditions, and program execution. With your donation, these projections can move from vision to reality. Donate now by visiting our Donate Now page and choosing the cause that matters most to you.

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