Sir — This refers to the article, “Wage war on human trafficking” (July 27) by PM Nair. India immediately needs an effective anti-trafficking Bill and its effective implementation regarding prevention, rescue and rehabilitation vis-à-vis human trafficking, including child trafficking and forced labour by a joint action team comprising police, labour department, child helplines and NGOs.
Human trafficking causes slavery and slavery kills democracy. On being asked about the definition of democracy, Abraham lincoln had said, “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy.” It is an irony that India being the largest democracy of the world has the highest number of bonded labourers. According to Global Slavery Index 2016, India has the highest absolute numbers of trapped people (18.35 million).
To combat the menace, it is also necessary to make ourselves aware of the problem of trafficking and about what role we can play to weed it out. There should be prominent notices in all railway stations, bus terminals and road crossings requesting people to inform police about any suspected incident. Citizens must also be requested not to visit those houses and shops where the working class is getting inhuman treatment or where a child labourer is employed.