nIn their bid to appeal Members of Parliament (MPs) to extend their support for the passage of Anti Trafficking Bill, 2018, in the ongoing Winter Session of the Rajya Sabha, 13 survivors of human-trafficking from different States came forward at a national consultation on Human Trafficking, organised by Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre (JAC) Society.
Noted Parliamentarians across different parties D Raja (CPI), Akhilesh Prasad Singh (INC), Pradeep Tamta (INC), N Gokulakrishnan (AIADMK), Satyanarayan Jatiya (BJP) and Bhubaneshwar Kalita (INC) attended the consultation to extend their support.
Survivors from various survivor collectives — Utthan, Vimukthi, Aazaad Shakti Abhiyaan, Bandhan Mukti and Worker Survivor Support group attended the consultation to share their experiences and point out the gaps in legislations.
“It’s time that Indian laws have necessary provisions to tackle the complex organized crime of Human Trafficking. We are thankful to the government for drafting a comprehensive and robust law which provides for necessary tools to address the crime and safeguards the interest of the victims,” Amod Kanth retired Indian Police Service (IPC) officer and founder General Secretary, Prayas, said.
The survivors shared their experiences of human trafficking, ranging from sexual exploitation, bonded labour, forced marriage, organ trafficking, child labour, forced domestic labour and other forms of trafficking. They urged for strong mechanisms for voluntary rehabilitation and victim-protection.
“It’s important for the Indian society to talk about such grave issues and therefore we reached out to the citizens in various parts of India and sought their support in our fight against Human Trafficking. Collectively we have collected more than 1.15 lakh post-cards addressed to the Prime Minister, in support of the Trafficking of Persons, Bill 2018,” said Ranjan (name changed) a survivor of organ trafficking at the consultation.
Chandrima (name changed), was trafficked at the age of 18. She was lured into commercial sex trade by a neighbour. She was rescued after 7 years. “After I was rescued, we filed an FIR against my neighbour, but she was bailed only after 20 days in jail,” she said.