With organised crime networks leveraging technology adding a new dimension to the problem of human trafficking, experts are now stressing on the need to address the issue in the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Speaking at a symposium on technology and trafficking at the International Institute of Information Technology here on Tuesday, Pranab Mohanty, Deputy Director-General, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), South, said they were witnessing increasing cases of criminals recruiting people online and luring victims to bring them under the fold of trafficking. “This is a new format we are witnessing. This suggests that we need amendment in the IT Act to include trafficking somewhere,” he said.
About the need for gearing up to get ahead of criminals in the game of technology, he urged for creation of a data warehouse. “Data warehousing is very important in human trafficking. We need to have database of those involved in trafficking, of resource persons and of victims too to ensure that they do not get lured into similar situations time and again.”
Without divulging the specifics of it, he said Aadhaar could also play a positive role in rescue operations. “Using Aadhaar, we have been able to identify some specially-abled children who had gone missing,” he said.
The symposium saw participation of activists, legal professionals, caretakers and technology experts involved in rescue and repatriation of victims.
Adrian Philips, spokesperson and legal head at Justice and Care, city-based NGO, said traffickers were making use of websites, social media and chat rooms to groom victims and sell them. “Our case work of over 10 years shows that increasingly these traffickers who are keeping pace with technology are exploiting it to trap young girls and expand their illegal businesses,” he said.
