Ongole: NGOs urge Centre to include community-based rehabilitation

Ongole: VIMUKTHI and Indian Leadership Forum against Trafficking (ILFAT) demanded that Union government consider certain suggestions to achieve the true impact of the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021 which is expected to be introduced in the ongoing winter session of Parliament.

The members of the VIMUKTHI and ILFAT were meeting the Members of Parliament from various states to explain the salient features of their recommendations and gather their support.

The Union government introduced the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 in Lok Sabha and passed it in July 2018. As the bill received severe criticism over the loose ends and gaps, the government did not introduce it in the Rajya Sabha. After the NCRB and other people's fronts reported the increase in the number of human trafficking cases in the country year after year, the government released the draft of the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021 in July 2021 and invited suggestions from the public and people working in the field.

Though the new bill is said to be a better version than the earlier and more victim-centric, there are still key gaps that need to be addressed for a strong and holistic anti-trafficking legislation, feel VIMUKTHI, ILFAT, HELP and other organisations working with the survivors and victims of human trafficking.

The members of the organisations, including the president and general secretary of VIMUKTHI M Meharunnisa and B Pushpavathi respectively, representative of ILFAT AP P Rajini prepared a document of recommendations to the Members of Parliament and requested them to give their voice in support of the victims.

They explained that though the draft bill tried to ensure the care, dignity and rehabilitation of victims, it failed to establish the link of responsibilities between the National Investigative Agency and the Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs). They advised the government to make it mandatory to establish the AHTU in each and every district, and make them the investigation units of all offences under the act so that they can coordinate the inter-state investigations with one another and for international investigations with the NIA.

They stressed the importance of community-based rehabilitation for the victims, more than institution-based rehabilitation. They said that the bill mentions the reintegration of the victims but did not define community-based rehabilitation. They advised the government to make community-based rehabilitation compulsory, and provide free and quality physical and mental healthcare, provide access to education and need-based and vocational training for survivors. They also wanted the government to group survivors for various schemes and make provisions for the jobs in government and public-private partnership institutions. They also advised to make it mandatory to include at least two representatives from the survivor-led anti-human trafficking groups in the anti-human trafficking committees in the district, state and national level, to give more credibility to the committee and to help the committees make victim-centric processes and decisions.