A bill aimed at checking the menace of human trafficking and three others were introduced by the government in the Lok Sabha.

Amid the din of the no-confidence motion, the vituperative barbs and the trivialising wink, Parliament did manage to transact some positive worth for itself as the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill  was tabled. If passed, it will be one of the most comprehensive anti-trafficking laws in the world and will have the distinction of being democratically drafted by every stakeholder, expert, activist and affected quarter. Human trafficking is the third biggest nightmare after drugs and arms and when it comes to India, the largest sufferers have been sadly children, who have been used as cheap fodder for the sex trade and couriers for terror networks. Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who has been crusading for child rights, has been advocating a strong law against human trafficking for years now. According to estimates, every eight minutes a child goes missing in our country and in majority of the cases, he/she is trafficked for sexual abuse, prostitution, forced labour, slavery, child marriage, organ trade and other purposes. Such is the extent of the rights violations that the Supreme Court defined trafficking as an organised crime for the first time in 2011. So this legislation, when it comes through, would be a legal shield for the most vulnerable human resource of our country.

The Bill targets all aspects of human trafficking, including economic, organised and sexual crimes, and while demanding stringent punishment for the accused also provides for special fast track courts, time-bound action and separate inquiry offices for the purpose of ensuring privacy and fairness of investigations. It further includes an investigation framework for victims from national to district level. Many may argue that existing laws have teeth and provision enough for swift inquiry and disposal but are not enforced in spirit. However, this is the first Bill that includes a provision for a rehabilitation fund for the victims and suggests a mechanism by which they can be mainstreamed in society. Of course, there have been protests from sex works who have objected to the criminalisation clause and their voluntary right to work in the sex trade. The strident raid and rescue model, they feel, will affect the lives of sex workers, who already bear the brunt of police brutality. However, the Bill is a consultative process and will almost try to factor in everybody’s rights. But it needs to be passed in a time-bound manner nevertheless as currently we use different laws to deal with human trafficking cases depending on the facts of each. A unified, cogent law will take care of a vacuum that cannot be allowed to exist in society and, therefore, should not be politicised.

Writer: Pioneer

Courtesy: The Pioneer

A bill aimed at checking the menace of human trafficking and three others were introduced by the government in the Lok Sabha.

Amid the din of the no-confidence motion, the vituperative barbs and the trivialising wink, Parliament did manage to transact some positive worth for itself as the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill  was tabled. If passed, it will be one of the most comprehensive anti-trafficking laws in the world and will have the distinction of being democratically drafted by every stakeholder, expert, activist and affected quarter. Human trafficking is the third biggest nightmare after drugs and arms and when it comes to India, the largest sufferers have been sadly children, who have been used as cheap fodder for the sex trade and couriers for terror networks. Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who has been crusading for child rights, has been advocating a strong law against human trafficking for years now. According to estimates, every eight minutes a child goes missing in our country and in majority of the cases, he/she is trafficked for sexual abuse, prostitution, forced labour, slavery, child marriage, organ trade and other purposes. Such is the extent of the rights violations that the Supreme Court defined trafficking as an organised crime for the first time in 2011. So this legislation, when it comes through, would be a legal shield for the most vulnerable human resource of our country.

The Bill targets all aspects of human trafficking, including economic, organised and sexual crimes, and while demanding stringent punishment for the accused also provides for special fast track courts, time-bound action and separate inquiry offices for the purpose of ensuring privacy and fairness of investigations. It further includes an investigation framework for victims from national to district level. Many may argue that existing laws have teeth and provision enough for swift inquiry and disposal but are not enforced in spirit. However, this is the first Bill that includes a provision for a rehabilitation fund for the victims and suggests a mechanism by which they can be mainstreamed in society. Of course, there have been protests from sex works who have objected to the criminalisation clause and their voluntary right to work in the sex trade. The strident raid and rescue model, they feel, will affect the lives of sex workers, who already bear the brunt of police brutality. However, the Bill is a consultative process and will almost try to factor in everybody’s rights. But it needs to be passed in a time-bound manner nevertheless as currently we use different laws to deal with human trafficking cases depending on the facts of each. A unified, cogent law will take care of a vacuum that cannot be allowed to exist in society and, therefore, should not be politicised.

Writer: Pioneer

Courtesy: The Pioneer