Mumbai: The repeated directions of the Bombay high court to the state government to set up special cells to curb human trafficking may finally see some concrete measures being initiated to set up a dedicated force of police personnel that stops immoral trafficking of women and children and nabs the main perpetrators. The tabling of the stringent anti-trafficking bill in the Parliament on Wednesday puts the onus on the state to set up special squads and ensure a speedy trial for offenders while providing for a proper system to rehabilitate women and children who are victims of trafficking.
Social activist Sunitha Krishnan, a rape survivor, said in her blog that if the bill was not implemented, it would be a regressive move on the part of India as neighbouring countries already have a stringent law against hum-an trafficking with death penalty add maximum punishment. Ms Krishnan is associated with an NGO that rescues, rehabilitates and reintegrates sex-trafficked victims. However, a section human rights activists felt that the provisions of the bill were a double-edged sword as it would put sex workers in the category of victims of trafficking, which may not be true.
In June, a division bench headed by Justice Naresh Patil, while hearing a petition by Rescue Foundation, took note of the complaints by the NGO about rescued victims of human trafficking being found again after being repatriated to their homes as the agents were never apprehended. The court had then asked the state to form a special team to tackle the problem. However, the state had expressed its inability to do the same due to jurisdiction restrictions.
Explaining the reach and use of the bill, senior advocate Dr Sujay Kantawala said, “The anti-trafficking bill ensures that not only the Prevention of Trafficking Act and article 370 are implemented in spirit and principle but also addresses areas that were not touched by the two.”
Advocate Sangeeta Ganvir, while welcoming the bill, said that while the issues addressed by the bill were encompassing of existing laws, she expressed apprehension on its ability to break the syndicates that perpetrated human trafficking as well as the strict implementation of the laws laid down in the bill.
