Alarmed over the increasing instances of trafficking, the State Government is planning to stress more on the rehabilitation of the rescued persons providing them better opportunities and living conditions at their native villages. According to Social Welfare, Women and Child Development Minister lois Marandi, an effective rehabilitation programme for the rescued individuals was needed to check the menace. “Bringing them back home is not important. What is more important is rehabilitating them properly as most of the time, they are not accepted by their families,” said Marandi.
“The State government, taking the issue seriously, was also planning some effective measures against the menace which is likely to be implemented soon after a thorough discussion with the CM,” Marandi added. According to the data available with the government, there has been a steep rise in the cases registered every year in the State. As many as 147 cases of human trafficking was registered in the year 2014 against 96 cases registered in 2013. Maximum of 42 cases were found to be registered in Gumla while Khunti remained on the second position with 23 cases. Ranchi was on the third rung with 16 cases of human trafficking in the year 2014.
Senior officials of the state police also believed that the issue cannot be resolved by the police alone until the state itself comes in a bigger way and the concerned departments are clearly told their mandate that what exactly should be done by them. Officials of Crime Investigation Department (CID), stressed on multifold initiatives to be taken jointly by police, State government as well as other civil societies dealing with the issues.
“Trafficking will continue in the State till some of the issues like push factors (poverty and unemployment) as well as the pull factors (greater opportunity and better life) are adequately gratified at their native places,” said ADG (CID) SN Pradhan. “I think the State should have to come in a bigger way into this as no respite could be achieved by outsourcing the responsibilities to others,” said Pradhan.
Referring to the efforts made by the police department, Pradhan added that a hotline has been set up with the Delhi Police providing a list to them which was being monitored by them. A feedback is also being provided to us from time to time so that a close vigil could be kept on them. The department has also been working very closely with some of the NGOs, he added. The ADG, however, asserted that the issue needs a better ownership by the State.
“Thirdly, a data is being created at the resource centre so that one stop monitoring could be done centrally. Once the data base is created, we will soon hand over the list to the concerned police station to find them out,” added the ADG. Pradhan, however, said that the menace of trafficking still continues as the rehabilitation part of the rescued individuals is not being done properly in the State. “Stress must be given on the rehabilitation part of the rescued persons so that they are not forced to get into the trap of the traffickers again due to the lack of ground facilities at their native places,” added the ADG.
Pradhan further added that a chain system has developed where an important role is being played by the relatives. “The problem has now entered to a vicious circle where an important role is played by the relatives of the individuals who are being trafficked,” Pradhan said. “It is not the agents who are doing it, but the relatives who have now become agents of agents, and have become a part of the supply chain for the agencies involved in trafficking,” he added.