DCW issues notice to Labour department, seeks details of private placement agency bill

The Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) Monday issued a notice to the Labour Department seeking details about the progress of the regulation of private placement agency bill in the Delhi Assembly.

DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal also asked what other steps are being taken by the government to regulate the private placement agencies.

The women's panel said in the notice that Delhi has become a hub of trafficking as well as placement agencies and stressed on their urgent regulation.

The Commission said it has been following up with the Labour Department since 2015 for the passage of the bill to regulate the Private Placement Agencies but it has not happened till date, the women's panel said.

In September 2018, the Delhi government had also informed the Delhi High Court that a bill for the regulation of private placement agencies was under consideration and would be introduced in the Delhi Assembly shortly.

However, there appears to have been no significant progress in this matter, the panel said.

Maliwal said, "The DCW has rescued many trafficking victims and in majority of the cases, role of placement agencies was suspected by complainants. These girls are not paid for years. Many of them are minors and are subjected to varied forms of torture and cruelty."