SC slams govt over rehab of trafficking victims……..Tannu Sharma
Observing that the existing framework of law has been unable to check human trafficking, especially of minor girls, the Supreme Court has voiced its concern that both the investigating agencies and the courts have failed to differentiate between rescued girls and the persons who are behind organising such immoral acts.
The bench led by Justice S B Sinha also rued that the government has so far failed to come up with a suitable plan for rehabilitation of victims of trafficking once they are rescued.
Terming the situation as unfortunate, the court deplored that even the judiciary, like investigating agencies, treats both victims and persons who procure children for trafficking or run brothels, alike. The Investigating Officers and the courts ordinarily fail to bear in mind a distinction between the rescued children including girls, on the one hand, and the persons who have been organising such immoral traffic¿, it said.
The court made the observations recently while delivering a verdict in a case in which an NGO, Guria, in Uttar Pradesh challenged the grant of bail to a few persons who procured minor girls. The bench said that in the absence of any well-thought out plan for rehabilitation of the rescued children, especially minor girls, most victims are forced to go back to places from where they are rescued. It said even though the victims of immoral trafficking, mostly minor or young girls, are let-off on bail, they again are forced to go back to the brothels from where they have been recovered and are subjected to prostitution again at the instance of the same persons.
The bench expressed anguish that other accused who are arrested from the brothels are also let off on bail without bearing any distinction in mind as to whether they work from behind or may be held to be guilty of offences of higher magnitude.
The apex court even said that the existing law suffers from lacunae as it prescribes a stricter punishment for prostitutes, imprisonment of not less than seven years, as compared to those behind running those brothels, who get three years.
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sc-slams-govt-over-rehab-of-trafficking-victims/499189/
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sc-slams-govt-over-rehab-of-trafficking-victims/499189/2