A 'One Stop Crisis Team' involving members from various departments has been formed in Coimbatore district to render legal services effectively in preventing and addressing human trafficking.
Headed by the secretary of District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), the team will have a panel advocate, a para legal volunteer, a trained and qualified social worker, an official from Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, nodal officers from the Labour Department, the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health and the Social Welfare Department.
Speaking at the launch of the team, R. Sakthivel, Principal District Judge and chairman of DLSA, emphasised coordination among all the departments concerned to prevent human trafficking.
District Collector K. Rajamani felt society had a larger role in preventing human trafficking by identifying and protecting vulnerable persons.
Sujit Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore District (Rural) Police, said trafficking thrived by using the victims for sexual exploitation, organ trade and bonded labour. Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the police was formed to curb the menace, he said.
N. Sharmila, senior civil judge and secretary of DLSA, said that the crisis team would inspect work sites periodically to identify victims of human trafficking, and release and rehabilitate them.
The team would map out the vulnerable areas and population and create awareness in the community on human trafficking. It would form preventive strategies including awareness campaigns on the dangers of trafficking and the punishment for the same. The team would also organise camps at taluk level to ensure Government schemes and rehabilitation schemes reached the victims.
Apart from providing legal assistance to victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation, the team would help them with access to the DLSA to apply for victims’ compensation under Section 357 of the CrPC.