War against human trafficking must continue: Vice-Prez

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said the fight against human trafficking must continue till the last person is rescued and pitched for creation of an enabling and supportive eco-system for the rehabilitation of survivors.

Speaking at the release of the "Home Management Training Manual" for shelter homes or survivors rescued from human trafficking", he said every year, globally, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers as every country was affected by it.

This war against human trafficking must continue till the last victim is rescued and rehabilitated and the last perpetrator is brought to justice. It is of paramount importance that we create an enabling and supportive eco-system for survivors to heal and lead normal lives, he said.

Describing human trafficking as much more than just a social evil, the vice-president said it was a violent crime against humanity itself.

"It is a matter of concern for India as it is also facing the problem of trafficking of men, women and children for forced labour or sexual exploitation," he said.

The annual statistics from the Crime in India Report of 2016 highlights all states in the country have reported cases of human trafficking, he said adding due to the diligent efforts of the government and the work of dedicated civil society groups like 'Prajwala' (an NGO) as many as 23,000 had been rescued.

He said special care must be taken in the case of child survivors, for the shock and trauma undergone by the victims would be immense and they require a higher degree of care to make a full recovery.