Recently, the Delhi Police arrested a woman accused of trafficking, 30 years after the case was first registered against her. Back then, the police had registered the case after one of the victims lodged a complaint at the local police station stating that she was abducted, raped, and sold off to multiple men by the accused and her gang members. The police station where the case was registered was subsequently shut down and an initiative by the Delhi Police to track down the proclaimed offenders led to the reopening of the case.
A structured mechanism was integrated into the policy targeting trafficking cases when the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a comprehensive scheme for establishing Anti-Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in 2011. The scheme aspired to combat trafficking by creating an institutional mechanism in the form of AHTUs that enhanced cooperation between stakeholders such as law enforcement agencies, governments, and NGOs, having the expertise to assist trafficking survivors. The scheme also aimed to build capacities and sensitise police personnel, especially at the grassroots level. At the peak of the pandemic, in 2020, the MHA issued another directive to the states to set up specialised task forces at the state and district levels to establish new AHTUs and strengthen the ones that already existed.
As of July 2023, figures published by the government state that 788 AHTUs including 30 in border guarding forces are functional. The number of AHTUs established in the country has seen an increase from 2020, when as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a total of 696 AHTUs were instituted by the authorities. However, a study conducted by Sanjog, an organisation specialising in policy research on issues surrounding human trafficking states that as of 2020 only half of the AHTUs that have been notified with power and resources are functional. Most of the AHTUs were constituted only by police officials or near-retirees.
While there is a need to strengthen the existing AHTU network by operationalising the infrastructure, there is also a requirement for conducting training workshops, including sensitisation workshops for the officials occupying the AHTUs. The training can include approaches for gathering victim-sensitive evidence for analysis, proactive investigation and surveillance techniques, timely filing of the chargesheet, and effective planning and preparation to preempt any human trafficking-related incident in the region. Training must also be conducted to maintain proper records of cases under investigation, under trial, arrests made, and convictions handed over by the court. These records are imperative for the smooth functioning of AHTUs and they must be updated periodically. District and state-level training for investigating agencies is crucial for the effective implementation of the comprehensive scheme of 2011. Additionally, coordination between state and district-level authorities is critical for the successful execution of the scheme.
Moreover, cases of human trafficking contain elements of trauma, abuse, and distress. They, thus, necessitate sensitive considerations by the officials. In cases of child trafficking, there is a need for compassion and understanding by investigating officials. Adoption of victim-friendly approaches by the authorities in handling cases of trafficking would be helpful in this regard.
The arrest of the accused 30 years after the report was filed gives a ray of hope to the victims of trafficking and is a testament to the perseverance of the Delhi Police department. This episode, however, also demands the reinforcement of the AHTUs on-ground to lend teeth to the scheme of 2011. Stringent implementation of the scheme and efficient establishment of the units in every district with skilled and trained staff and officials will enable speedy investigation and justice for survivors of the gruesome crime.
The writers are survivor leaders, Indian Leadership Forum Against Trafficking (ILFAT). ILFAT is India’s first forum against human trafficking which is by the survivors, of the survivors, and for the survivors of all forms of human trafficking
