Human trafficking a borderless, organised crime: Rajnath Singh

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday dubbed human trafficking as a "borderless, organised crime" and that his ministry had put in place an effective mechanism to curb the menace.

"Human trafficking is a very sensitive and serious issue. It is a borderless organised crime and India alone is not a victim of human trafficking as it is a global phenomenon," Rajnath Singh said as he inaugurated a national conference on human trafficking here.

He also launched a portal - mysecurity.gov.in - at the event for women safety and protection.

Citing a recent report of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the minister said that the figures on south Asia were startling, with more than 1.5 lakh people reported as victims of human trafficking in a single year.

"It is shocking that young girls are sexually exploited, children are subjected to amputation, people are sold like cattle and bonded labour is still rampant. No civilized society can tolerate such inhuman practices. The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has put in place an effective mechanism to curb the menace and some remarkable achievements have been made in this regard," he added.

The minister said that the MHA was working on a revised scheme to strengthen the Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) with cooperation of the state governments.

He also underlined the role of stakeholders, including NGOs, especially in the rehabilitation of rescued victims.

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

Expressing concern about human trafficking from Bangladesh and Nepal, he said: "India recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Bangladesh to check human trafficking and share information on agencies or individuals involved. We also hope to sign an agreement with Nepal as well."