Tag: HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Prevention of human trafficking in railways

 ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and, as such, State Governments are responsible for prevention, detection, registration and investigation of crime and maintaining law and order etc. on Railways through their law enforcement agencies viz. Government Railway Police (GRP)/local Police. Railway Protection Force (RPF) supplements the efforts of GRP/local Police to provide better protection and security of passenger area and passengers and for matters connected therewith. RPF is not empowered to investigate cases of Human Trafficking and whenever any case of suspected human trafficking is detected by RPF, the same is reported to GRP/District Police. The persons rescued and apprehended are handed over to concerned Police for further necessary action as per law.

Children in need of care and protection coming in contact with Railways, who can be prospective victim of Human Trafficking are rescued regularly, in accordance with the provisions of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by Railways in coordination with Ministry of Women & Child Development and NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Rights) under the Operation ‘Nanhe Farishte’ launched by RPF for rescue of such children.

In order to strengthen action against Human Trafficking, more than 750 Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) have been setup by RPF over the Indian Railways. These AHTUs coordinate with AHTUs of Police & CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces) i.e. BSF & SSB functioning at district level/state levels/International Borders and with Intelligence Units, NGOs and other stakeholders and take effective action on traffickers as per law.

RPF has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Association of Voluntary Action (AVA) also known as Bachpan Bachao Andolan (an NGO), who is assisting in training and capacity building of RPF, GRP and other railway staff on all child protection issues and in implementation of sensitization and awareness campaigns. Also, AVA shares intelligence information pertaining to suspected traffickers and their activities with RPF to conduct raids and help in rescue of trafficked children.

Further, a pan India Drive ‘Operation AAHT’ is undertaken by RPF focused to take effective action in cases of Human Trafficking through railways. During the current year (upto June), total 150 children being trafficked through railway system have been rescued by RPF from the clutches of traffickers under ‘Operation AAHT’.

Further, the following steps are being taken by the Railways in coordination with GRP/District Police to prevent Human Trafficking through trains and railway premises:-

  1. Train escorting parties and staff deployed in mass contact areas have been sensitized and trained to identify the potential victims of trafficking and immediate action taken to rescue them.
  2. An Exhaustive Security circular No.03/2022 dated 02.02.2022, detailing action plan to be taken by RPF against Human Trafficking have been issued.
  3. To supplement the efforts of State Police, Cyber cells of RPF have been instructed for cyber patrolling of the web/social media to look for digital footprints/traces of human trafficking in the internet and to cull out the clues helpful in taking action against Human Trafficking through railways.
  4. The subject of “Human Trafficking” have been included in all training courses conducted in RPF Training Centres. Also, time to time Special seminars are organised to sensitize RPF personnel and train them in identification of victims and traffickers.
  5. Periodic   review   meetings   are    held    with    Nodal    Officers    of    Anti    Human Trafficking    Units    and     other     concerned     agencies     from     time     to     time     to review the efforts undertaken to combat human trafficking.
  6. Surveillance is kept through CCTV cameras provided in 5882 coaches and 861 Railway Stations for enhanced security of passengers.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

BY: VAIBHAVI MENON

Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extraction of organs or tissues, including for surrogacy and ova removal. Human trafficking can occur within a country or trans-nationally. Human trafficking is a crime against the person because of the violation of the victim’s rights of movement through coercion and because of their commercial exploitation. Human trafficking is the trade in people, especially women and children, and does not necessarily involve the movement of the person from one place to another. People smuggling (also called human smuggling and migrant smuggling) is a related practice which is characterized by the consent of the person being smuggled. Smuggling situations can descend into human trafficking through coercion and exploitation. Trafficked people are held against their will through acts of coercion, and forced to work for or provide services to the trafficker or others. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), forced labour alone (one component of human trafficking) generates an estimated $150 billion in profits per annum as of 2014. In 2012, the ILO estimated that 21 million victims are trapped in modern-day slavery. Of these, 14.2 million (68%) were exploited for labour, 4.5 million (22%) were sexually exploited, and 2.2 million (10%) were exploited in state-imposed forced labour. 

The International Labour Organization has reported that child workers, minorities, and irregular migrants are at considerable risk of more extreme forms of exploitation. Statistics shows that over half of the world’s 215 million young workers are observed to be in hazardous sectors, including forced sex work and forced street begging. Ethnic minorities and highly marginalized groups of people are highly estimated to work in some of the most exploitative and damaging sectors, such as leather tanning, mining, and stone quarry work. Human trafficking is the third largest crime industry in the world, behind drug dealing and arms trafficking, and is the fastest-growing activity of trans-national criminal organizations. Human trafficking is condemned as a violation of human rights by international conventions. In addition, human trafficking is subject to a directive in the European Union. According to a report by the U.S. State Department, Belarus, Iran, Russia, and Turkmenistan remain among the worst countries when it comes to providing protection against human trafficking and forced labour. Trafficked people are held against their will through acts of coercion, and forced to work for or provide services to the trafficker or others. The work or services may include anything from bonded or forced labour to commercial sexual exploitation. 

The arrangement may be structured as a work contract, but with no or low payment, or on terms which are highly exploitative. Sometimes the arrangement is structured as debt bondage, with the victim not being permitted or able to pay off the debt. In India, the trafficking in persons for commercial sexual exploitation, forced labour, forced marriages and domestic servitude is considered an organized crime. The Government of India applies the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013, active from 3 February 2013, as well as Section 370 and 370A IPC, which defines human trafficking and “provides stringent punishment for human trafficking; trafficking of children for exploitation in any form including physical exploitation; or any form of sexual exploitation, slavery, servitude or the forced removal of organs.” Additionally, a Regional Task Force implements the SAARC Convention on the prevention of Trafficking in Women and Children.