Chennai: According to data released by the National Records Bureau, Tamil Nadu had the second highest incidence of crime related to human trafficking in 2014. Statistics show the state had 509 cases of human trafficking, with 590 victims, and all of them registered under various sections of the Immoral Traffic Act, 1956. NCRB designates human trafficking as crimes where girls are imported from foreign countries, and procuring, buying and selling of minors for prostitution.
Assistant professor in the Department of Criminology, S Ramadoss pointed out that the number of cases reported are only one-third or lesser as compared to the actual crimes committed. “Currently, there is no follow up, medical assistance and psychological counselling for those who have been rescued. We should focus on that. Otherwise there is a possibility that they could be trafficking again,” he said.
In 2010, a study conducted by former head of the department R Thilagaraj, for the United Nations Development Programme on trafficking and HIV, found that 20 per cent of the victims of trafficking contract HIV. The study had called for a coordinated effort by the police, judiciary and non-governmental organisations dealing with women, children and labour trafficking was imperative to prevent spread of the infection, the study said.
The study found that 42.1 per cent of victims were trafficked when they were children and 93 per cent of those trafficked said their native language was Tamil and called for a uniform single legislation, a separate agency to tackle trafficking in women and children and making it mandatory to register births.
