MHA directs state govt to form anti-human trafficking units in all districts

CHENNAI: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed the state governments to utilise funds released from Nirbhaya Fund in March this year to establish anti-human trafficking units (AHTUs) in all the districts. In a bid to end human trafficking, the ministry has also emphasised on coordination among the law enforcement agencies to step up monitoring mechanisms while advising the department of labour to take the lead role.
The AHTUs would deal with the criminal aspects of human trafficking and conduct rescue operations based on information from police sources, NGOs and CSOs, deputy secretary (PR & ATC) of MHA Arun Sobti said in an advisory to state governments and UTs in combating human trafficking during during the pandemic. The advisory dated July 6 has been sent to the principal secretaries (home) of state governments and UTs.
Centre has directed the state government to evolve coordination mechanisms among various departments – women and child welfare, social welfare, police, health departments - to effectively handle the issue.
“It should be monitored at the highest level in the state/UT,” he said in the advisory, noted that labour department should take a lead role at the present juncture and needs to pool all its resources to address the situation of exploitation of vulnerable people.
The ministry has also emphasised on collecting and developing an exhaustive database on all aspects of trafficking and traffickers and maintaining a complete list of people living in the respective villages, keeping track of their movement to prevent trafficking in large numbers, the MHA further said in the communication.