HC wants rehab policy for victims of human trafficking

The High Court on Monday directed the State government to find out if there is any existing policy on rehabilitation of children who are victims of human trafficking.
 

While hearing a PIL filed by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA), a division bench comprising acting Chief Justice SK Mukherjee and Justice B V Nagarathna orally directed the State government to come up with a rehabilitation policy in the absence of any existing policy in three months. The bench observed that the rehabilitation centre must ensure that the children get good education once they are rescued.  

KSLSA had filed a PIL questioning the lack of standard operating procedures (SOP) by the police and various other departments in handling missing persons and human-trafficking cases. The petitioner had contended that a number of legislations and guidelines on trafficking were not being enforced effectively.

The petition says that Karnataka has the fourth highest number of missing and trafficking cases registered. As per the Karnataka police data, as man y as 11,969 cases of missing persons were reported during the period from November 2013 to November 2014. As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compendium, Karnataka, ranks fourth with 412 cases of missing persons last year.

  The petitioner has sought directions to strictly implement the special procedures under the special laws relating to trafficking such as the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 and  Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso Act), 2012. The bench adjourned the hearing to November.