MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI MANIKRAO HODLYA GAVIT)
(a) & (b): As per statistics complied by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of cases registered under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act {ITPA} during the years 2003, 2004 & 2005 were 5510, 5748 and 5908 respectively. Further, as per statistics complied by NCRB based on provisional monthly figures available so far, 1648 cases have been registered under the ITPA.
(c): No such data is maintained centrally.
(d): The US State Department`s Report on Trafficking in Persons - 2006 has inter alia observed that India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced or bonded labour and commercial sexual exploitation.
(e): The Emigration Act, 1983 seeks to protect emigrants from exploitation by unscrupulous agents and foreign employers and provides for a regulatory framework for the emigration of Indian workers for overseas employment on a contractual basis. A comprehensive proposal for amendments to the existing Emigration Act has been initiated by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. The proposed amendments include provisions for more stringent penalties for violation of the provisions of the Emigration Act. A new provision to punish those indulging in `people smuggling` has also been proposed. A new section has been proposed to empower the Central Government to constitute special courts in the interest of speedy trials under the Emigration Act.
(f): `Police` and Public order` are state subjects, and the State Governments are primarily responsible for prevention and combating of crime of human trafficking. The Union Government is taking several measures, in concert with the State Governments for prevention and control of crime of trafficking as well as measures for rehabilitation of victims. The Union Government has advised all the State Governments to deal with the crime of trafficking in a holistic manner and to evolve an effective and comprehensive strategy encompassing rescue, relief and rehabilitation of victims besides taking deterrent action against the law violators. The Ministry of Home Affairs has set up a Nodal Cell for dealing with matters relating to trafficking in human beings.
The Cell is inter alia responsible for collecting and analyzing the data related to trafficking from the State Governments/UT Administrations, identifying problem areas and analyzing causes for their being source/transit/destination areas, monitoring of action taken by State Governments/UT Administrations for combating the crime and organizing co-ordination meetings with nodal Police Officers of States/UTs.
