763 Human Trafficking Cases In 5 Years But Only 10 Convictions | Bengaluru News – Times of India

0
125

[google-translator]

BENGALURU: A 35-year-old travel agent who was allegedly trafficking a 16-year-old Kolar girl to New Delhi was arrested last month.
The man had picked her up at Majestic bus stand where she had arrived from Kolar looking for a job in Bengaluru and allegedly sexually abused her. But he was caught while attempting to fly her off to the national capital for ‘job opportunities’.
An investigating officer from Devanahalli police said the man is in jail but they are yet to establish if he is a ‘professional’ in this business. Activists say collecting evidence and securing conviction in such cases is difficult for two reasons: First, there exists an extensive network of small players who are ill-informed about the kingpins, and second, police investigations do not tend to go beyond the evidence collected at the crime scene.

763 human trafficking cases in 5 years but only 10 convictions

Recently, the home department informed members in the legislative council that 763 anti-human trafficking cases were registered across Karnataka between 2017 and February 2022, but there have been only 10 convictions — all of which took place in 2017.
The anti-human trafficking cell was the most active in 2017, with 178 cases, 222 arrests and 10 convictions. Case filing and arrests dropped by 18% and 16%, respectively, in 2018 only to rise marginally the next year. The year of the pandemic saw the lowest anti-human trafficking activity by state police. However, activists claim flesh trade spiked in 2020 like never before.
“Prostitution and the sale of young girls have been rampant after Covid-19 struck as countless working class members lost their jobs. Many are lured into sex work by being told it is an easy way of earning money. Red-light areas that would be limited to big cities have now mushroomed across the rural landscape,” Sujana N Babu, an anti-human trafficking activist and field organiser at Mysuru-based Odanadi Seva Samsthe, told TOI.
Odanadi said it has rescued 241 young women, 34 minors and five infants from flesh trade through around 70 rescue/raid operations in eight years.
About zero convictions, activists say criminals have become tech-savvy but police have not kept pace with their methods. “Police look for evidence every time they are tipped off, but after the pandemic struck, tracing pimps has become difficult. Pimps now ask customers to book rooms and send pictures of the trafficked girls on WhatsApp or other social media platforms for customers to choose. If and when police raid such hotel rooms, the girls are trained and pressured to say they are in a happy relationship with the man,” Sujana elaborated.
KV Stanly, founder and secretary of Odanadi, pointed out that in the past two years, police mostly focused on pandemic management. “The biggest setback is that the dedicated anti-human trafficking squad has not been conducting any raids,” said Manabendra Mandal, chairperson of Action Against Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation of Children, adding that though a fully dedicated force is the need of the hour, anti-human trafficking squads in India are saddled with other administrative responsibilities.
“A self-sufficient unit is required in every police station. Every police personnel needs to be given anti-sexual harassment, gender sensitivity and anti-human trafficking training, especially rural police,” he said.
‘Efforts not lacking’
A senior police officer, however, denied any let up in anti-human trafficking efforts. He said there have been convictions but not necessarily under anti-human trafficking laws. Legal intricacies may have resulted in other laws being invoked, he added.

Source link

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here