Child trafficking: Govt frames rescue protocol

The Society referred to Trafficking Victims Protection Act of the United States, which was the first US law to advocate a sympathetic treatment to such persons, and sought provisions for India, which admittedly has three million victims.

Presenting the norms to SC, the Centre also agreed that there would be no more mass raids of trafficked women and children. Instead, the protocol lays stress on a more personalised approach.

It calls on states to develop an anti-trafficking policy specifying victim-friendly provisions, staring with a confidential database of traffickers, brothel owners, informants, decoy customers, cases registered and status of cases besides other relevant information. A victim, according to the norms, should on rescue be repatriated to the home state with government bearing the expenses.

A first, states would create a separate budget for repatriation of the victims. There are also provisions for assigning trained Child Welfare Officers in every police station and building separate hygienic toilets for women in the stations.

Under the 8220;strategy for pre-rescue operations8221;, police are required to identify the children using decoy customers, authenticate available data and involve NGOs and social workers in rescue efforts. To maintain secrecy of rescue operations, it empowers the team leader to take into custody mobile phones and other modes of communication of team members prior to operation.

8220;Under no circumstance should the rescue operation be revealed to any person other that those directly involved. If by any chance the media does happen to get word of it, they should not be allowed to cover the rescue operation,8221; says the document. Also, during the rescue, the team members should not physically touch the girls or women or their belongings or use abusive language towards them. During the raid, the child should be removed from the brothel as quickly as possible. In case she has a child of her own, ensure they aren8217;t separated, the Protocol suggests.

There is also a strategy for 8220;post-rescue operations8221;. According to this, after rescue, the child must be kept away from brothel owners/ traffickers so that they may not intimidate it. On the rehabilitation front, the Protocol says the victim when brought to a children8217;s home must be provided a kit that includes a change of clothes, toiletries etc. However, it stresses that 8220;no rescued child should be sent back to his/her family without ensuring social acceptance, family support to prevent re-trafficking and further exploitation.8221;