‘A widespread evil, no country is free of it’

How rampant is human trafficking in India?
Human trafficking is a widespread evil. There’s no country in the world where trafficking does not take place. There are millions of people, especially women and children, who get trafficked every year. Trafficking is not just for sex trade. Victims of trafficking are misused in bonded labour and domestic work where they are made to work like beasts and even denied food. They are also pushed into organ trade and molecular testing.

How can the Sate prevent and control trafficking?
One of the best results to control trafficking has come from the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Right to Education (RTE). If the government can control and monitor the school drop-out rate, it will be a big step to prevent trafficking. The age limit for free education for  children should be increased from 14 years to 18 years. The Supreme Court directive to the states and Union Territories to register all missing complaints is also a big move in preventing trafficking in persons.  The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018, provides for confidentiality of victims, witnesses and complainants, time-bound trials and repatriation of the victims.

Can you recall one incident of rescue which continues to haunt you?
In 2005 we rescued an 11-year-old girl from AP from a brothel in Budhvar Pet in Pune. She was administered estrogen injections in the first seven days of her arrival. This was done at the behest of the brothel ‘madam’, who had bought her for Rs 50,000 from a trafficker in Andhra Pradesh. She was then given 250 tokens per week. The girl was raped by 30-35 men every day. For seven days, she was not given food so that she could stay awake and entertain clients. In a week, the brothel keeper had earned Rs two lakh from the girl. We rescued her and produced her before the court. She wept, and told the then chief justice that she no longer needed the safety of law. She pleaded before him to give her a weapon so that she could finish off her predators. The girl died a week later of full-blown AIDS.