Officials from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Jharkhand police on Wednesday met representatives of the US Consulate and a Non Government Organization (NGO) in Ranchi and discussed various measures taken by the law enforcement agencies in the State to curb human trafficking.
Inspector General (Organised Crime), Ranjeet Prasad, said that representatives from all the eight Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in Jharkhand also attended the meeting. “We met the representatives of the US Consulate and a civil society organisation and informed them about the initiatives we have taken for curbing human trafficking in Jharkhand,” said Prasad.
Founder member of Shakti Vahini, the NGO that attended the meeting on Wednesday, said that the number of cases of missing children has reduced over the years in Jharkhand. The numbers of arrests made in connection with child trafficking cases have also reduced, he added. “The police have done a commendable job in curbing the cases of human trafficking from the State and also spreading awareness,” he said.
Jharkhand, however, has only eight AHTUs. And the lack of presence of an AHTU in the remaining 16 districts proves to be a drawback for the State’s anti-human trafficking mission, say activists. While Jharkhand has been a hotbed of human traffickers, who prowl the villages here in search of vulnerable children who are sent through cartels to the metros in exchange of money, the State’s efforts have put a check on the rampant trafficking of children.
Every year, at least 10,000 children, usually tribal girls, are trafficked from Jharkhand to different parts of the country to work as domestic servants, say activists.
A majority of these children are subjected to physical and sexual tortures, causing ailments which prove fatal at times.