Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a resident evil which albeit hidden, nevertheless is present in some form or the
other in all stratas of society. Unfortunately, the laws to beat this heinous practice are in place but in
my view they need to be more stringent while being applied - on a case to case basis. It is imperative
that people are made aware of these laws, which might prove to be the most crucial step towards
eliminating this atrocious crime.

A case was recently reported from Jowai, West Jaintia Hills District, wherein two persons (including a
Fireman) were arrested for their involvement in raping multiple minor girls. Luckily, for the girls and
their families, due to the prompt action by the West Jaintia Hills District police, they were rescued
from this racket and spared the ignominy of existence in captivity. It is more than evident that while
India has the capacity to tackle the evil, by virtue of having passed the Anti- Trafficking in persons Act
(2003), they clearly don’t have the will.

As per the Superintendent of Police, Jowai the human trafficking racket was busted, due to the
statements of the victims and circumstantial evidence coupled with confirmations from other
witnesses. Due to the vigilance of the Police and the general public, more than a dozen persons
involved in the case have been arrested since 2 Jun – when the racket had been busted. Additional
arrests are still on the cards – as the investigations progress. It is a matter of shame for the matrilineal
society of Meghalaya that as per the Meghalaya Police website, a total of 20 cases of human trafficking
have been reported of which 14 victims were rescued till 2012.

Human trafficking is an evil which can only be tackled if the people speak up which can often prove to
be harder than one can fathom. Most people who are trapped in the web of such unfortunate events
are usually the un / undereducated and more often than not poor. According to the National Human
Rights Commission more than 40,000 people were found to be victims of human trafficking of these
75% were found to be women and children and what’s worse is that these are only the reported cases.

The time is here to put an end to this heinous practice, once and for all; Public-Police partnership
coupled with acute public awareness and unmitigated Police vigilance, will prove to be key.