THE SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. “THE GLOBAL ESTIMATES OF MODERN SLAVERY” REPORT

THE CONTEXT: The 2021 Global Estimates for Modern Slavery, which was recently released by the International Labour Organization (ILO), revealed a spike in the instances of forced labour.
THE EXPLANATION:
Highlights of the report:
• In 2021, 50 million people were living in modern slavery, of which 28 million were in forced labour and 22 million were trapped in forced marriage.
• The number of people in modern slavery has increased exponentially in the past five years.
• Compared to the 2016 global estimates, 10 million more people have been trapped by modern slavery.
• Women and children are disproportionately vulnerable to modern slavery.
• Modern slavery occurs in almost all countries across the world, regardless of differences in ethnicity, culture and religion.
• Forced Labour: 52 per cent of all forced labour are found in upper-middle or high-income countries. 86 per cent of forced labour are found in private sector. Forced labour in sectors other than commercial sexual exploitation accounts for 63 per cent of all forced labour.
• Forced marriage: An addition of 6.6 million people are victims of forced marriage in 2021 when compared to 2016 global estimates. More than 85 per cent of forced marriage is caused by family pressure. Its prevalence is highest in Arab states.
• Migrant workers are more than three times likely to be in forced labour than non-migrant adult workers. This is because of poorly governed migration or unethical recruitment practices.
• Recommendations: Improving and enforcing laws and labour inspections, ending state-imposed forced labour, social protection, and promoting fair and ethical recruitment and targeted support for women, girl and vulnerable communities.

VALUE ADDITION:
About ILO:
International Labour Organization (ILO) is the only tripartite U.N. agency, since 1919. It brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States, to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men. HQ: Geneva.
India has ratified six out of the eight-core/fundamental ILO conventions. These conventions are:
1. Forced Labour Convention (No. 29)
2. Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No.105)
3. Equal Remuneration Convention (No.100)
4. Discrimination (Employment Occupation) Convention (No.111)
5. Minimum Age Convention (No.138)
6. Worst forms of Child Labour Convention (No.182)

India has not ratified the two core/fundamental conventions, namely Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) and Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2. THE SCO SUMMIT 2022

THE CONTEXT: The 2022 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit will be organized in Uzbekistan from September 15 to 16, 2022.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The 2022 SCO Summit would be held in Samarkand – a city in Uzbekistan on the ancient trade route of Silk Road that connects China with the Mediterranean.
• The SCO summit in Uzbekistan would focus on reviewing the grouping’s activities over the past two decades and identifying areas having potential for multilateral cooperation.
• The discussions would also focus on the geopolitical crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the situation in the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
• This is the first in-person summit since 2019 SCO summit held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
• This summit would witness the first in-person meeting between Prime Minister and Chinese President Xi Jinping after their meeting at Brasilia on the side-lines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in 2019.
• The 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of the State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) would witness the attendance of leaders of SCO member states, observer states, Secretary General of the SCO, Executive Director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), President of Turkmenistan and others.
• During the summit, Iran is expected to be formally admitted into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
• After the Samarkand summit, India would take up the SCO presidency.
• India will hold the presidency of SCO until September 2023. It would host the SCO summit next year.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organization
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic and security grouping founded on June 15, 2001. It is headquartered in Beijing. Its members include China, Russia, India and Pakistan as well as 4 Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. It is the world’s largest regional grouping, covering about 60 per cent of the area of Eurasia, 40 per cent of the global population and more than 30 per cent of global GDP.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

3. THE NATIONAL LIST OF ESSENTIAL MEDICINES

THE CONTEXT: Recently the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the revised National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) 2022.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The revised National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) 2022 has deleted 26 drugs, which include common gastrointestinal medicines ranitidine and sucralfate.
• 384 drugs are currently part of the National List of Essential Medicines 2022, with the addition of 34 drugs.
• The medicines have been categorized into 27 therapeutic categories.
• Drugs in the list are deleted from the list if medicines with better efficacy or favourable safety profile and better cost-effectiveness are available as their alternative.
• If a specific disease is no longer a national burden, medicine for that disease would be deleted from this list.
• If anti-microbial drugs become ineffective due to high resistance, they are also deleted from the list.
• Concerns regarding safety profiles of the drugs and those that are banned in India are also deleted.
• Four drugs that are still under patent have been included in the list. These are bedaquiline and delamanid used in the treatment of multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis, dolutegravir used for treating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and daclatasvir used in treating viral infections such as Hepatitis C.
• Several anti-cancer drugs have been included in the list to make them affordable and reduce out-of-pocket expenditure in cancer treatment.
• Cardiovascular medicines dabigatran and tenecteplase are also included in this list.
• The diabetes section has been expended by including teneligliptin and insulin glargine.

National List of Essential Medicines
The National List of Essential Medicines was compiled for the first time in 1996. It was revised thrice since in 2003, 2011 and 2015. The drugs in the NLEM are included in the Schedule category and their price is regulated by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority.

THE ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

4. THE CLIMATE TIPPING POINT

THE CONTEXT: A new research has revealed that an increase of 1.5 from pre-industrial levels would trigger multiple climate tipping points. Presently, some parts of West Antarctic ice sheets, an important marker, have already passed tipping point.
THE EXPLANATION:
• Climate tipping points (CTPs) are indicators of a large climate system, which when triggered beyond a threshold, perpetuate warming on its own.
• Some CTPs triggers include substantial sea level rise caused by melting ice sheets, shrinking of Amazon Rainforest or corals and warming caused by carbon released from the melting permafrost.
• A new study analysed 9 previously-identified tipping elements and their corresponding timescale and impacts of tipping.
• The researchers increased the list of potential tipping points from 9 to include other possible tipping points.
• They revealed that human emissions have already pushed the tipping point to dangerous levels, some of which are irreversible.
• Thus, the goal set by the UN’s Paris Agreement to limit warming at 1.5 to 2°C will not be able to avoid the adverse consequences of the climate change as several of the climate tipping points have already been triggered.
• Tipping points can be triggered even at 1.5°C, which is not a safe level of warming but better than the 2°C mark.
• Even a few tenths of a degree of excessive temperature could trigger new tipping points.
• If it goes beyond 1.8°C, ocean convection in the Labrador and Irminger Seas in the North Atlantic would collapse and Europe and North America would witness extreme weather conditions. There will also be a shift of subtropical monsoon patterns to new positions, especially in West Africa.
• In the scenario of 4°C rise, the wider Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation would collapse and severely disrupt the monsoon systems across the world.
• This would cause major changes in the Atlantic, with significant decline in sea ice and abrupt shifts in the boreal forest position worsening the rising temperature and causing significant changes in weather patterns.

VALUE ADDITION:
What is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)?
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a large system of ocean currents that carry warm water from the tropics northwards into the North Atlantic.

How does the AMOC work?
• The AMOC is a large system of ocean currents, like a conveyor belt, driven by differences in temperature and salt content – the water’s density.
• As warm water flows northwards it cools and some evaporation occurs, which increases the amount of salt.
• Low temperature and a high salt content make the water denser, and this dense water sinks deep into the ocean.
• The cold, dense water slowly spreads southwards, several kilometres below the surface.
• Eventually, it gets pulled back to the surface and warms in a process called “upwelling” and the circulation is complete.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

5. SEPTEMBER 14: THE HINDI DIWAS

THE CONTEXT: Recently, Hindi Diwas is observed every year on September 14 to commemorate the adoption of Hindi as the official language of India.
THE EXPLANATION:
• On September 14, 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted Hindi as the official language along with English.
• Article 343 of the Indian Constitution recognizes Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language.
• On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, the importance of Hindi is promoted and various cultural festivals are organized to celebrate and honour Hindi literature.
• India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru decided to create the Hindi Diwas on September 14, which coincides with the birth anniversary of Beohar Rajendra Simha, who played a major role in making Hindi India’s official language.
• Hindi Diwas was celebrated for the first time in 1953.
• Mahatma Gandhi was the first to advocate for making Hindi the national language of India in Hindi Sahitya Sammelan in 1918.
• As of 2022, Hindi is the third most spoken language in the world, with about 602.2 million people speaking the language.
• On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, Home Minister inaugurated second All India Rajbhasha Sammelan.
• While the National Hindi Diwas is celebrated on September 14, the World Hindi Day (Vishwa Hindi Diwas) is celebrated on January 10 every year to promote the use of Hindi language across the world.
• Currently, Hindi is spoken in countries such as Fiji, New Zealand, Singapore, Mauritius etc.
Akhil Bharatiya Rajbhasha Sammelan
The Akhil Bharatiya Rajbhasha Sammelan (All India Official Language Conference) was held for the first time in 2021. The two-day conference will be organized by State Language Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Discussions will be held on the importance of Hindi during this conference.

6. THE NAGA MIRCHA FESTIVAL

THE CONTEXT: Recently the inaugural edition of the Naga Mircha festival was organized in Seiyhama village of Kohima district in Nagaland.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The first-ever Naga Mircha (King Chilli) Festival 2022 was organized in the village hall of Seiyhama village in Kohima district.
•  The event was sponsored by the Nagaland Horticulture Department.
•  In 2021, the Seiyhama village reported a total income of Rs.27 lakh through the cultivation of Naga Mircha and this year’s estimation of income from this activity is Rs.1 crore.
•  It is one of the major provider for self-employment opportunities in the village.
• Of the 361 households in the Seiyhama village, 200 cultivate Naga Mircha, providing them with a sustainable income source.
• Each of these households are expected to earn a minimum income of Rs.60,000 to Rs.70,000 and large-scale cultivators are expected to earn nearly Rs.4 to 5 lakh this year.
•  Income from the Naga Mircha cultivation has supported education of children.
•  During the inaugural Naga Mircha Festival, Chief Minister’s Micro Finance Initiative was promoted.
• Chief Minister’s Micro Finance Initiative was launched by the Nagaland government to ease credit access required for undertaking economic activities in the agriculture and allied sectors, including MSMEs.

About Naga Mircha
Naga Mircha is popularly known as Raja Mircha (King Chilli). It is one of top five hottest chillies on the Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) list. It received GI tag to Nagaland in 2008. It is also known as Bhoot Jolokia and Ghost pepper. It belongs to genus Capsicum of family Solanaceae. It is 60 to 85 mm long and has wrinkled skin. The spiciness of this species is 1,041,427 SHU.

1. In kartavya is hidden a plan for our growth READ MORE
2. The unheard victims of Indian masculinity: Why so many young men, as NCRB data shows, do violence to themselves or to others over love READ MORE
3. A debauched seer & amoral society READ MORE

1. The governance model to take on climate change READ MORE
2. Western Ghats: Supreme Court quashes plea against Gadgil, Kasturirangan reports READ MORE

1. India at 100 should be a society where gender is not used as a tool to exclude READ MORE
2. The solution to India’s stunted improvement on the Human Development Index: Improving access to quality education READ MORE
3. India’s healthcare spending: Net of specialist care must be spread throughout country READ MORE

1. An improved Bill, but still contentious: The draft Indian Ports Bill of 2022 has not resolved the main issue between the Centre and maritime States READ MORE
2. Striking Down the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 Won’t be an Easy Task READ MORE
3. FCRA amendment disproportionately penalises voluntary surrender READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. India, China confirm withdrawal of troops from PP15 in Ladakh READ MORE
2. India to hold G20 summit in September 2023 READ MORE
3. 384 drugs on essential medicines list READ MORE
4. Election Commission delists 86 parties, declares 253 inactive READ MORE
5. From promise to reality: 10 years after breakthrough, a CRISPR solution to problems of health begins to take shape READ MORE
6. Pakistan ‘lacks effectiveness’ on four goals linked to FATF: Report READ MORE
7. Manufacturer: Phase-1 trial of dengue vaccine gets nod READ MORE
8. There are 50 million people in situations of modern slavery on any given day: Report READ MORE
9. HDFC Bank issues India’s first Electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. India at 100 should be a society where gender is not used as a tool to exclude READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. An improved Bill, but still contentious: The draft Indian Ports Bill of 2022 has not resolved the main issue between the Centre and maritime States READ MORE
2. Striking Down the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 Won’t be an Easy Task READ MORE
3. FCRA amendment disproportionately penalises voluntary surrender READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. The solution to India’s stunted improvement on the Human Development Index: Improving access to quality education READ MORE
2. India’s healthcare spending: Net of specialist care must be spread throughout country READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. For India, the buzzword now is ‘all-alignment’: Its participation in the SCO summit is a clear signal of pursuing multi-alignment with its partners worldwide READ MORE  
2. Does India belong in the SCO READ MORE

 GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. An opportunity for India Inc: Corporate India’s response to the country’s job crisis has been more symbolic than substantial READ MORE
2. No policy deviation needed for inflation READ MORE
3. India overtakes UK, but no time for complacency READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. The governance model to take on climate change READ MORE
2. Western Ghats: Supreme Court quashes plea against Gadgil, Kasturirangan reports READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. In kartavya is hidden a plan for our growth READ MORE
2. The unheard victims of Indian masculinity: Why so many young men, as NCRB data shows, do violence to themselves or to others over love READ MORE
3. A debauched seer & amoral society READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. India participation in the SCO summit is a clear signal of pursuing multi-alignment with its partners worldwide. Analyse.
2. ‘Strong government policy on poverty, inequality and gender equality can go a long way in helping achieve our dream of becoming an economic superpower’. Discuss.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.
• The draft Indian Ports Bill of 2022 has not resolved the main issue between the Centre and maritime States.
• India participation in the SCO summit is a clear signal of pursuing multi-alignment with its partners worldwide.
• India at 100 is a society where gender becomes redundant and is not used as a tool to exclude, discriminate or harass.
• Given its demographic profile, India is uniquely placed to provide services to ageing societies of the developed world.
• For reasons of strategy, economy, tech and diaspora, the West Coast will play a key role in shaping India-US ties.
• A lack of values and norms in a society that has gone amoral, where moral judgments are seldom made.
• Strong Government policy on poverty, inequality and gender equality can help us become an economic superpower.
• India must also urgently address the problems emanating out of poor or inadequate infrastructure. Many developed nations have heavily invested in infrastructure in order to score excellent economic growth figures.
• The SCO facilitates India-Central Asia interactions and enhances opportunities for monitoring the internal and external influences there, promoting economic connections and deterring hostile activities against Indian interests.

50-WORD TALK

• The timely release of undertrials under Section 436 (A) of the Criminal Procedure Code after undergoing half of the maximum imprisonment should lessen the burden on the prisons. There are instances of undertrials languishing in jails because they cannot pay for the surety or the bail bond. The authorities concerned should step in to find a solution to this problem as the surety and bond amounts are not too large.
• World class infrastructure will take the stress away from crucial sectors such as power generation and transportation and ensure a proper sectoral development of the economy. India’s economy has strong underlying economic fundamentals and despite the turbulence due to external factors the nation can cope well and deliver good results, however it is the chronic presence of plentiful internal challenges that can prove to be undoing for India.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 332]

THE CONTEXT: Human trafficking is still having a serious presence in India. It is one of the most distressing problems faced by many countries worldwide. It is a serious crime against human beings and violates their fundamental or basic human rights. It inhibits the free movement of the citizens through coercion or commercial exploitation in their own country. Thus, it can occur within a country or even out of the country i.e. transnationally. In the present article, we will discuss the issue of human trafficking in detail.

WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?

• Human trafficking is a trade among all people, especially children and women.
• According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Human Trafficking is “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, to exploit them for profit”.

DATA RELATED TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN INDIA

• According to the MHA, In 2020, a total of 4,966 registered cases of Human trafficking from across India, and 3661 people were charge-sheeted.
• It has led to 101 convictions and 715 acquittals, while the other cases are still pending, as per the crimes in India 2020 report by the National Crime Records Bureau.
• According to the central government, as many as seven states — Assam, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Punjab — did not see a single conviction in such cases in 2020.
• As per India’s National Crime Record Bureau, 2278, 2208, and 1714 cases of trafficking were reported in 2018, 2019, and 2020 respectively. 85.2% of the cases have been charge-sheeted.
• In 2020, 4,709 persons were victimized, out of which 2,222 were children, including 1,377 boys and 845 girls. It also projects that 2151 children were rescued, out of which 801 were girls. Among adult victims, 535 were males, and 1952 were females.

HOW SERIOUS HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN INDIA

• It is considered the second largest organized crime in India.
• Human trafficking is still a major issue in India, despite the fact that it is banned under Indian law.
• People are trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labour, forced begging, forced marriage, selling children, as well as for the removal of organs.
• Sexual exploitation is the most common form of exploitation, followed by forced labour.
• Most victims are trafficked within their countries’ borders – those trafficked abroad are moved to the richest countries.

REASON FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Several factors contribute to the trade in human beings, particularly women and children. The factors of trafficking in women and children can be divided into two categories: push and pull factors.

THE PUSH FACTORS INCLUDE:

• Poor socio-economic conditions of a large number of families, poverty coupled with frequent, almost annual natural disasters like floods leading to virtual poverty of some people, lack of education, skill and income opportunities for women in rural areas, absence of awareness about the activities of traffickers, pressure to collect money for dowries which leads to sending daughters to distant places for work, dysfunctional family life, domestic violence against women, low status of girl children, etc.
• It appears from the case studies that extreme poverty and other causes of deprivation not only push people to fall on the traffickers’ tripod but also create an incentive for trafficking. Often the prostitutes, who have no option to come out of the exploitative environment, gradually develop intimate connections with the traffickers and follow in their footsteps.

THE PULL FACTORS ARE:

• Lucrative employment propositions in big cities, easy money, promise of better pay and comfortable life by the trafficking touts and agents, the demand of young girls for marriage in other regions, demand for low-paid and underage sweatshop labour, and growing demand for young kids for adoption, rise in demand for women in the rapidly expanding sex industry, demand for young girls in places of military concentration like Kashmir in India in recent times, demand for young girls for sexual exploitation.
• The rampant practice of female feticide in the northern states of Haryana and Punjab has also fuelled internal trafficking.
• Since there is a shortage of women in these states having a low female to male ratio, they have become fertile ground for the operation of traffickers.
• Traffickers procure girls from faraway states like Assam and Orissa; trick their families into believing they are to be married, only to push them into prostitution later.
• India is also experiencing rapid changes in economic, political, demographic and labour trends as an outcome of globalization; increasing demand for cheap labour and heavy population growth in the region encourages migration, whether legal or illegal.
• The movement of young girls and women from Bangladesh and Nepal into Indian brothels is common. There is further movement of these women and girls to the Middle East and other destinations.

WHAT ARE THE PROVISIONS TO STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING

• Trafficking in Human Beings or Persons is prohibited under the Constitution of India under Article 23.
• The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (ITPA) is the premier legislation to prevent trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.
• Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 is a special law to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
• There are other specific legislations enacted relating to trafficking in women and children o Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006
• Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976
• Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986
• State Governments have also enacted specific legislations to deal with the issue. (e.g., The Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act, 2012).

WHY IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING A CAUSE OF CONCERN NOWADAYS?

• The estimated number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is significantly increasing.
• There is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year.
• Evolving nature of trafficking is a challenge, like the rise of technology usage and cowardly ways of committing crimes these days.
• Often cases are booked as kidnapping or missing person cases even though there is clear evidence of trafficking.
• Lack of information provided to survivors on victim compensation.
• Low investment on the part of legal aid results in very few survivors having access to compensation.
• Despite many laws present in India, human trafficking remains an unspoken problem in the country.

The conviction rate is falling.

• As per the government data, the conviction rate in Human trafficking cases has been falling over the past few years.
• The conviction rate in 2020 was 10.6%, while it was 22.5% in 2019 and 19.4 in 2018.
• In 2017, the conviction rate was 24.5% and 27.8 % in 2016.
• According to activists and NGOs working with human trafficking survivors, getting convictions in such cases is a major challenge.

WHY ARE THE PROVISIONS NOT WORKING EFFECTIVELY AGAINST TRAFFICKING?

LACK OF COORDINATION

• Getting justice for the survivors and punishing the culprits are challenging tasks and most of the time, the traffickers get away using legal loopholes.
• Like terrorism and drug trafficking, human trafficking is an organized crime involving interstate and sometimes international networks. If a person is trafficked and their kin goes to the local police station, they can only do so much to investigate the case locally as their resources are limited.

LACK OF LEGAL RESOURCES

• In such cases, where the evidence is very little, the prosecution has to rely on the statement of the survivor, who is both the victim and the witness of the crime.
• The issue of the declining rate of conviction essentially indicates there is a lack of strong and appropriate investigation that spans across state borders.
• There is also a lack of a proper rehabilitation mechanism and victim compensation for the survivors, which would encourage them to cooperate with the investigators.
• In 2018, the NIA agreed to take up human trafficking case involving two or more states, but it is still in the early stages.

VICTIMS NEED WITNESS PROTECTION

• In the case of survivors who want to take their traffickers to law, one of the major challenges is safety, as one or more chains of the network will be people who are part of their own community or village.
• There is no proper mechanism for witness protection and victim compensation. The survivors have to deal with this powerful network that is very intimidating.
• Survivors getting threats from traffickers against seeking legal measures is not uncommon. In the current system, the only protection the victim is offered is to place them in a shelter home.
• The maximum punishment in human trafficking cases is 10 years in jail, and in cases of sexual exploitation, the prison sentence can be for life.

THE ANTI-TRAFFICKING BILL 2021

ACCORDING TO THE  BILL

• Defines human trafficking as an organized crime with international implications
• The law will apply to all citizens of India, within and outside the country.
• The law shall apply to every offence of trafficking in persons with cross-border implications.
• Widens the definition of the “victim” by including transgenders, besides women and children.
• Any offence of trafficking shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven years.
• More severe penalties for “aggravated offences” and seeks to crack down on organized crime syndicates.
• Aggravated offences include cases that may result in the death of the victim or where the victim suffers a grievous injury (in cases such as an acid attack), organ mutilation or removal of organs, or where the victim is a child.
• In case of the death of the victim, the Bill proposes life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 30 lakh.
• Imprisonment up to 20 years and the death penalty for the offenders found guilty.
• The investigation needs to be completed within 90 days from the date of the arrest of the accused.
• Widens the range of offenders who can be booked under the law, bringing public servants, armed forces personnel or anyone in a position of authority under its ambit. The penalty for the guilty will include life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 30 lakh.

CONCERNS WITH THE BILL

• The Bill is not clear about how the NIA, as a nodal agency, will gather information and intelligence from different parts of the country through Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) at the district level and State levels.
• Largely silent on rescue protocols except the “reason to believe” by a police officer not below the rank of a sub-inspector.
• The absence of community-based rehabilitation, missing definition of reintegration and also the funds related to rehabilitation of survivors in the Bill.

THE WAY FORWARD:

Border measures

• Stringent Enforcement of cross-border trafficking, Secure Vigilance in Trafficking routes and Proper social accountability are needed.

 Economic and social policies

• Taking measures to raise levels of social protection and to create employment opportunities.
• Taking appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of employment in order to ensure, on the basis of gender equality, the right to equal pay for equal work and the right to equality in employment opportunities.
• Developing programmes that offer livelihood options and include basic education, literacy, communication and other skills reduce barriers to entrepreneurship.
• Encouraging gender sensitization and education on equal and respectful relationships between the sexes, thus preventing violence against women.
• Ensuring that policies are in place that allow women equal access to and control over economic and financial resources.

Awareness-raising measures

• With the help of NGOs and Police officials, there can be some types of advertisements through the popular media in a particular location and by conducting some awareness programs in villages, local schools, among kids of the poor society and public to be alert of being victimized.

Legislative measures

• Adopting or strengthening legislative, proper law enforcement, uncorrupt officials, educational, social, cultural or other measures and, where applicable, penal legislation, including through bilateral and multilateral cooperation, to discourage the demand that fosters all forms of exploitation of persons, especially women and children, and that leads to trafficking.
• Enhance the capacity building of law enforcement agencies.
• Conducting workshops on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings for Police officers and for Prosecutors at the Regional level, State level and District level
• Sensitize the judicial officers about the various issues concerning human trafficking and ensure a speedy court process.

THE CONCLUSION: The issue of human trafficking in India must be addressed in a whole comprehensive manner. It requires a multi-faceted strategy to combat the menace of human trafficking in our country. While efforts include that there should be a process of rehabilitation and reintegration for all the victims of human trafficking, it should be mainly conducted. Otherwise, it will not successfully address the issue in the long run and strategically.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

1. Why in recent times the case of trafficking is increasing? How are technological developments encouraging it?
2. Why does the issue of human trafficking persist in India despite so many laws and awareness campaigns? Suggest some effective measures to prevent it.
3. The anti-trafficking bill 2021 is an effective law to address the issue of trafficking in India, but implementing the law is a major challenge. Comment.