India’s Cabinet approves bill to combat human trafficking

09, Mar 2018 | CJP Team

India’s Cabinet has approved the Trafficking of Persons Bill, which will go before parliament during this ongoing session, the Thomson Reuters Foundation reported. The bill is an attempt at making “India a leader among South Asian countries to combat trafficking,” by tackling the issue “from the point of view of prevention, rescue and rehabilitation,” the government said. It also said that “In order to break the organized nexus, both at the national and international level, the Bill provides for the attachment and forfeiture of property and also the proceeds for crime”. Under the bill, those guilty of engaging in trafficking could be imprisoned for ten years to life. Those convicted would also be fined at least Rs. 1 lakh. The bill also proposes establishing special courts to try human trafficking cases, establishing a rehabilitation fund, and forming anti-trafficking committees at the district, state, and central levels to supervise efforts to prevent trafficking, and protect and rehabilitate victims.