Odisha: Police conduct study to tackle human trafficking

BHUBANESWAR: The state Crime Branch in collaboration with Odisha police and Sambalpur university conducted a study to find out the remedies of human trafficking. Key findings of the study report included strengthening of police intelligence against traffickers, identification of critical locations that are vulnerable to human trafficking and conduct of regular gram sabhas to sensitise communities against the social menace.

The study report recommended corrective measures at three levels—houses (families), communities and government. While families and communities should be sensitized against human trafficking, different government agencies like home (police), women and child development (W&CD) and labour should devise mechanism to prevent, rescue and rehabilitate women and children in distress, the report said.

At a seminar, organised here on Wednesday by the Crime Branch to discuss measures to prevent human trafficking, director general of police (DGP) R P Sharma said police stations have been asked to create a database of human traffickers and take stringent action against them. Governor Ganeshi Lal, who inaugurated the seminar, also sought stringent action against those, who promote trafficking of women and children.

According to Crime Branch statistics, total 1142 persons, including 660 women were rescued by police between 2015 and 2017. The police also rescued 288 minor boys and 268 girls during the three years. Altogether 359 persons, including 66 women were arrested in the three years. “Our study found that almost all the victims were trafficked for labour in brick kilns and factories in other states. In case of children, they were trafficked to Delhi and major other cities for employment as domestic help. Subsequently many of them were sexually abused,” DGP Sharma said.

Senior IAS officer and Mission Shakti director Sujata Karthikeyan said the state government has taken a number of initiatives to prevent exploitation of women and children. “Human trafficking comes to fore when victims, who were promised of jobs and benefits, end up facing exploitation. The state government is serious about its ramifications and put in place a mechanism for the safety and security of women and children. We have an integrated anti-trafficking policy to address the issue,” Karthikeyan said. Sources said the policy provides adequate measures for psychological support, economic empowerment and reintegration to ensure that the rescued victims of trafficking do not get drawn into the trade again due to non-availability of other options for livelihood.

Additional director general of police (Crime Branch) Santosh Upadhyay said a special drive was launched last year where total 2895 missing children were rescued from the state and outside. The children were mobilized forcefully at different hazardous workplaces.

Social activists said the police should organise rescue operations regularly. “We occasionally find the police in action mode to prevent human trafficking. They should launch special drives against human traffickers in backward regions where migration for livelihood is rampant. Government should also explore job options in those areas,” Manaswini Mishra, a social campaigner said.

On January 7 three persons were arrested in Jharsuguda on charges of selling a minor girl and sexually abusing her in Haryana. At least 10 persons on October 17, 2018 trafficked a woman from Kolkata and allegedly raped her for several days in Konark. On October 29, 2018 Crime Branch arrested five persons, including three women on charges of trafficking a woman from Puri and selling her to a man for marriage in Madhya Pradesh.