Human trafficking is a global phenomena, says Rajnath Singh

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that human trafficking is a very sensitive and serious issue, which is a global phenomena, while inaugurating a National Conference on Anti Human Trafficking

"Human trafficking is a very sensitive and serious issue. It is a borderless organised crime, India alone is not a victim of human trafficking, as it is a global phenomena," Singh said.

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"The figures on South Asia are startling, with more than 1.5 lakh people reported as victims in a single year. It is shocking that young girls are sexually exploited, children are subjected to amputation, people are sold like cattle stock and bonded labour is still rampant," Singh added.

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Mentioning that no civilised society can bear such inhuman practices, Singh said that "the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has put in place an effective mechanism and some remarkable achievements have been made to check this menace. The MHA is working on a revised scheme to strengthen the Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) with the cooperation of the various State Governments. Underlining the role of various stakeholders including the NGOs especially in the rehabilitation of rescued victims."

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"It is equally essential to have a nodal coordinating agency for the purpose and the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) project will also prepare a database on criminals engaged in human trafficking," Singh said.

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Singh further said that India has recently signed an MoU with Bangladesh to check human trafficking and share information on perpetrating agencies or individuals and hoped a similar agreement could be signed with Nepal.

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On the occasion, Singh gave away awards to the top performers of Operation Smile from States and Union Territories. Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), V. Somasundaram, Director CBI, Anil Kumar Sinha and senior officials of MHA and MWCD were present.