Lok Sabha Question No. 1458 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-28
Subject: Anti-Human Trafficking Units
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Abdul Khaleque

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1458

TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.07.2023

## ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING UNITS

## 1458.  SHRI ABDUL KHALEQUE:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken any steps to enhance coordination among Anti-Human Trafficking units (AHTUs) and ensure effective operations between States and Central Government;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (c) the details of the status of the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, which was expected to be table in the Parliament's 2022 Monsoon Session?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a)  &  (b):   'Police'  and  'Public  Order'  are  'State-List'  subjects  under  the  Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. Therefore, the responsibility for preventing and countering  the  crime  of  human  trafficking  primarily  vests  with  respective  State Governments/  Union  Territories  (UTs).  Nevertheless,  the  Government  of  India attaches highest priority to the safety and security of women and children and has provided financial assistance of about Rs. 250 crore to the States/ UTs in the last 2-3 years  for  establishing  Anti-Human  Trafficking  Units  (AHTU)  in  all  Districts  of  the States/ UTs and for establishing a Women Help Desk (WHD) in every Police Station of the State/ UT. Both AHTUs and WHDs provide support to women and children who are in need of any kind of assistance and to coordinate action with regard to preventing and countering incidents of human trafficking.

As of now 788 AHTUs are functional in all districts of the country including 30 in Border Guarding Forces such as Border Security Force and Sashastra Seema Bal. Further, 13557 WHDs   are functional at Police Stations across the country. Financial assistance is also provided to States/ Union Territories to hold 'Judicial Colloquiums' and 'State level conferences' for sensitizing law officers/ Police Officers, etc. on issues relating to trafficking.

States/ UTs have also been advised to establish institutional mechanism at all levels of the State/ UT i.e. at State/ UT Headquarter level, District level and Police Station level, with a view to address the issue of human trafficking in a comprehensive manner.

Further, Government has been supplementing the efforts of the States/ UTs in this  regard  by  providing  them  guidelines  on  preventing  and  countering  human trafficking, etc. in the form of various Advisories issued from time to time. Government has also launched a national level communication platform namely Crime Multi Agency Centre (Cri-MAC), which facilitates dissemination and sharing of information amongst Police  authorities  of  all  States  and  UTs  about  significant  crimes,  including  human trafficking cases, across the country on real time basis and thus enabling inter-State coordination amongst the Police officers dealing with various crimes, including human trafficking.  For  addressing  cross-border/  transnational  issues  of  human  trafficking, bilateral  Memoranda of  Understanding  have  been  signed  with  Bangladesh,  United Arab  Emirates,  Cambodia  and  Myanmar;  and  multilateral  instruments  on  human trafficking have also been signed by India.

In addition, various schemes/ projects have been appraised by the Government under Nirbhaya Fund for providing assistance to needy women including the victims of trafficking, which include One  Stop Centres (733 OSCs  are functional); Universalisation  of  Women  Helplines  (functional  in  34  States/  UTs),  Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) which is a pan-India single number (112)/ mobile app based system for emergencies (functional in all States/ UTs).

(c):      The  Ministry  of  Women  &  Child  Development  (MWCD)  introduced  "The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill 2018" in 16th Lok Sabha for consideration during the Monsoon Session of 2018. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 26.07.2018, but could not be considered in the Rajya Sabha due to prorogation of Sixteenth Lok Sabha. The Bill lapsed on dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha. In the light of the discussions in the Lok Sabha during the passing of the Bill, the Bill has been re-drafted by the MWCD to make it responsive to ground realities and requirements of the nation.

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