Vijayakumara.N, LL.M (Criminal law), University Law College, Bengaluru
ABSTRACT
Trafficking is a crime which affects the entire society as a whole and its after effects are bad as the crime itself. The rate at which trafficking is increasing has to be stopped and reduced to control the ill effects related to it. Prevention of trafficking has to take into account both the demand and supply issue which is the root cause of trafficking. Victims are being deceived, forced, and coerced into prostitution for the purpose of financial, physical and mental exploitation. The government must strictly come down on those individuals who are involved in controlling, recruiting, transporting the victims of human trafficking and punish them in accordance with law. The government should ensure that all traffickers are arrested, prosecuted and punished with stringent penalties for their crimes and confiscate their assets and provide compensation to the victims of trafficking.
The government has to create policies and programmes to protect and support children’s and women with appropriate physical, psychological, legal, educational, housing and health care assistance especially in brothel based and street based prostitution. Government has to create a confidential database on trafficking including probable traffickers, brothel owners etc.
The rescue team shall consist of men and women police officers and respective NGO’s/ Local inhabitants and they shall be told about his/her role in the rescue operation and maintain secrecy and confidentiality of the entire rescue operation. Government should rehabilitate, reintegrate and repatriate the victims of trafficking in a proper process and accordingly consider the age, education and skills of the victims. The government must also set up number of institutions and homes in all district and taluk levels. Anti-trafficking cell/units should be set up both by the central and state governments, Block level, District level and village level to facilitate and monitor the rescue victims of trafficking.The government must ensure that to eradicate trafficking there must be training, sensitization, education and awareness among all levels of society.
The laws to deal with the problems of trafficking are Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act 1956 in
conjunction with the Indian Penal Code; Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000 and other laws. The Supreme Court stated that the Ujjawala Scheme is a special scheme only for the purpose of rescuing trafficked women’s. The government should provide acesss to facilities such as helplines, help kiosks, public awareness campaigns, N.G.O.’s and corporates should take steps to ensure the awareness of the rehabilitation programmes to sustain them.
