NHRC asks ministries to take steps to prevent trafficking

Pandemic had impacted vulnerable sections of society, says Commission.

The National Human Rights Commission on Friday said it had issued an advisory to the government on measures to be taken to prevent human trafficking in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown has disproportionately impacted the vulnerable sections of the society,” the NHRC said in the advisory addressed to Union ministries concerned and State governments on Tuesday.

The NHRC said the vulnerable were falling prey to traffickers due to the “limited access to shelters and support structures for life and livelihood”. The Commission added that the Women and Child Development Ministry had reportedly received 27 lakh distress calls from March till August and had intervened in 1.92 lakh cases, of which at least 32,700 were related to trafficking, child marriage, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, forced begging and cyber crimes.

The NHRC recommended setting up of a 24/7 toll-free helpline for real-time reporting, tracking and monitoring of trafficking cases. The advisory also said special surveillance should be started at railway stations, bus depots and airports to trace children without adults. The NHRC recommended quick and up-to-date data sharing between States and districts about rescued and missing persons as well as those arrested in trafficking cases.

The NHRC said vigilance committees should be set up in villages to record the details of migrants and intercept trafficking cases. Every district should have an anti-human trafficking unit, it added.

The advisory, which was the 12th such guideline issued by the NHRC during the pandemic, was sent to the ministries of Home Affairs, Labour and Employment, Social Justice and Empowerment, Women and Child Development and Education. The ministries were asked to submit action-taken reports.

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