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In a crackdown on human traffickers, which also lays bare the growing dimension of the scourge, the Railway Protection Force of NF Railway rescued 71 minor boys and girls, along with two women, during the first fortnight of this month.
While the authorities deserve credit for this success, it also leaves none in any doubt as to the high level of vulnerability of the victims, who are falling to the vicious trap of the trafficking rackets.
A sustained crackdown on the nefarious trafficking rackets, which operate with a lot of dexterity, is a must, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice in order to be a deterrent. Of late, there have been a lot of cases of rescue of trafficked victims, mostly children and women, but the number of arrests and busting of rackets has not been many.
Certain pockets in Assam, such as some perennially flood-affected areas and backward places inhabited by tea tribes and other tribal communities, have emerged as hotbeds for trafficking. These places need to be brought under constant vigil of the law-enforcing agencies.
For instance, districts like Udalguri and Biswanath have routinely been witnessing the disappearance of women – something that strongly points to human trafficking.
While we have no dearth of laws to deal with the scourge, the implementation part still leaves a lot to be desired. However, treating trafficking as a mere legal issue that can be settled through enforcement of legal provisions will also be a fallacy.
While strict enforcement is a must to check the rising incidence of trafficking and also to ensure that the criminals get duly punished, equally imperative is to focus adequately on the socio-economic factors that provide a fertile ground for such inhuman practices to flourish.
We need to have an action plan on trafficking in place to prevent exploitation of children and women. Prevention of trafficking aside, rehabilitation of the victims should be integral to such a strategy, which should also be clear about the roles for the various stakeholders in the process.
Given that the police tend to treat trafficking cases casually, the need for a dedicated investigation agency is also there. The police apparently need some sensitisation for effective handling of issues concerning children and women.
Even the Supreme Court had earlier observed that 'whenever a child goes missing, it should be presumed to be a case of kidnapping or trafficking.' But regrettably, our thick-skinned law-enforcing machinery is often found to be sitting on such cases, exposing shocking insensitivity.
Since trafficking has its roots in socio-economic factors, these are crucial issues to be addressed for a long-term solution. Poverty, illiteracy, lack of employment avenues, etc., constitute a breeding ground for this scourge, and this can be overcome only with good governance.