The Fight Against Human Trafficking

World Day against Trafficking in Persons, which is observed every year on July 30 to raise awareness on the plight of the victims, may have been pushed to the backseat like many other important events this year by the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, but a study has warned that the crime could rise once the lockdown is lifted. The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation’s study, which is based on the responses of dozens of non-governmental organisations working with children and spread across the country, said that trafficking of adults and children might increase post-lockdown period as the source of income of those from the lowest economic strata would be affected. The study said that 89% of the NGOs covered by the survey were of the opinion that the increase in trafficking would be for the purpose of labour; and 76% anticipates ‘human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation’. It went on to say that 77% of the NGOs that participated in the survey reported that sexual abuse of children in general may go up in the post lockdown period besides possible increase in incidences of child labour and child marriage.

The finding of this study is a matter of concern, more so because India has not made much progress in the fight against this crime, with 38,503 victims of human trafficking being recorded between 2011 and 2019 according to the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau. This menace has been haunting the Northeast India too for years now, with hundreds of people falling victim to the crime and the region becoming one of the main destinations of human traffickers. A former Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice had once said that the Northeast had emerged as hub of human trafficking in India. Reports also said that states like Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland are most vulnerable for trafficking to take place because of the spurious unfenced borders with neighbouring countries. Amid unemployment and poverty in the region, many youths are lured to the cities and even abroad on the pretext of providing jobs before being subjected to various forms of exploitation like prostitution, forced labour, slavery, removal of organs, etc.

Human trafficking menace is obvious but India has failed to address the issue till date. In an attempt to curb it, the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 was passed in the Lok Sabha two years ago but it lapsed before it could be introduced in the Rajya Sabha. The government of India should reintroduce this lapsed bill in the parliament after making necessary amendments and pass it as soon as possible besides stringently implementing other measures to prevent human trafficking. In a move that could help prevent this menace in Nagaland through enhanced monitoring, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio recently announced that whoever wants to work outside the state must register with the state government or else the government would not be responsible for them. If citizens follow this directive, it will be much easier to reach out to them in times of distress as well as help prevent from falling prey to criminals. However, to successfully eradicate this issue, community engagement is necessary. Besides creating awareness among the masses, especially in the remote areas, law enforcement agencies, government authorities, local administration, communities, educational institutions and various civil society organisations should work together and remain vigilant. Only then human trafficking can be curbed.