Form anti-human trafficking cell, MHA urged

ALARMED over the spate of human trafficking cases, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has asked the Home Ministry to constitute a cell within three months to combat the problem.
The directive is in keeping with the Plan of Action formulated by the MWCD (then a department) in 1998 to check the illegal trade after a judgment of the Supreme Court.

‘‘We have asked the Home Ministry to create the cell since all police forces will have to be actively involved, said Reva Nayar, Secretary at MWCD.

The matter assumes importance since the US has placed India in the Tier-II category of countries affected by human trafficking. A report by the US State Department will be released shortly evaluating the country’s performance in checking the crime. Sanctions could be imposed if the country is placed in Tier-III.
The MWCD is of the view that police officers specifically tasked to deal with trafficking will have to be designated in every state. Once the cell is in place, there will be a focussed approach and the task of coordination among different agencies will be rendered easier.
Most of the trafficking is done within the country from one state or region to another. For instance, minor girls from Assam, Bengal and Jharkhand are often sold in Haryana and Punjab fuelled by factors ranging from poverty to discrepancy in the sex ratio in the demand areas. In the process, a large number of girls also end up crossing the border from Nepal and Bangladesh.

The action plan has also suggested setting up of a nodal agency to check human trafficking on the lines of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Efforts are on to set up this agency, which will be under the administrative control of the MWCD having the role of a watchdog.

ALARMED over the spate of human trafficking cases, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has asked the Home Ministry to constitute a cell within three months to combat the problem. The directive is in keeping with the Plan of Action formu- lated by the MWCD (then a department) in 1998 to check the illegal trade after a judg- ment of the Supreme Court. ‘‘We have asked the Home Ministry to create the cell since all police forces will have to be actively in- volved, said Reva Nayar, Secretary at MWCD. The matter assumes im- portance since the US has placed India in the Tier-II cate- gory of countries affected by human trafficking. A report by the US State Department will be released shortly evaluating the country’s performance in checking the crime. Sanctions could be imposed if the coun- try is placed in Tier-III. The MWCD is of the view that police officers specifi- cally tasked to deal with traf- ficking will have to be desig- nated in every state. Once the cell is in place, there will be a focussed approach and the task of coordination among different agencies will be rendered easier. Most of the trafficking is done within the country from one state or region to another. For instance, minor girls from Assam, Bengal and Jharkhand are often sold in Haryana and Punjab fuelled by factors ranging from poverty to discrepancy in the sex ratio in the demand ar- eas. In the process, a large number of girls also end up crossing the border from Nepal and Bangladesh. The action plan has also suggested setting up of a nodal agency to check human trafficking on the lines of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Efforts are on to set up this agency, which will be un- der the administrative control of the MWCD having the role of a watchdog.
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