{"id":41382,"date":"2025-04-17T19:36:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T14:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=41382"},"modified":"2025-04-17T19:37:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-17T14:07:12","slug":"supreme-court-on-child-trafficking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/17-04-2025\/supreme-court-on-child-trafficking","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court on Child Trafficking\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Vulnerable Section of Society; Human Rights Concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, the Supreme Court of India has issued a warning to parents across the country, urging them to remain vigilant against the growing menace of child trafficking.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It highlighted that traffickers exploit juvenile protection laws to force children into crime.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About\u00a0 the Child Trafficking<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Forms of Child Trafficking:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Forced Labor:<\/strong> Children are trafficked into industries such as domestic work, agriculture, and construction.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sexual Exploitation:<\/strong> Many victims are forced into prostitution or online exploitation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Illegal Adoption: <\/strong>Criminal networks abduct children to sell them for adoption.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Current Scenario and Statistics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Over 10,000 cases of trafficking were reported, yet only 1,031 convictions were secured (Between 2018 and 2022).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh are among the top states with the highest number of trafficked children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to <strong>National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)<\/strong> data of 2022, 3098 victims (below 18 years) are rescued.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in Addressing Child Trafficking<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Low Conviction Rates:<\/strong> Despite thousands of arrests, the conviction rate remains below 5%, highlighting gaps in investigation and prosecution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of Awareness and Reporting:<\/strong> Many cases go unreported due to fear, lack of legal knowledge, and social stigma.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inter-State Trafficking Networks:<\/strong> Traffickers operate across state borders, making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to track and dismantle these networks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Legal and Institutional Framework in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Article 23 of the Constitution:<\/strong> It prohibits trafficking in human beings and forced labor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (ITPA)<\/strong>: It criminalizes human trafficking and provides penalties for offenses involving children, especially those trafficked for sexual purposes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012:<\/strong> It is designed to protect children from sexual assault, sexual harassment, and pornography.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It was passed to address child sexual abuse comprehensively and includes provisions for special courts to try these offenses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It defines a <strong>child as anyone under 18 years of age.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015:<\/strong> It defines a child in need of care and protection, including those at risk of trafficking.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It mandates rehabilitation through child welfare committees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023:<\/strong><strong>Sections 143 and 144<\/strong> are related to provisions for the offences of human trafficking.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Also, <strong>Section 11<\/strong><strong>1 in BNS<\/strong> is related to Organized Crimes, covers the crime of trafficking of persons for prostitution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS): <\/strong>It recognizes trafficking as a <strong>cognizable and non-bailable offence<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs):<\/strong> Central Government has provided financial assistance to States\/ UTs for setting up\/ strengthening of AHTUs.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Currently, 827 AHTUs are functional including 807 in States\/ UTs, 15 in Border Security Forces (BSF) and 5 in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Crime Multi Agency Centre (Cri-MAC):<\/strong> It was launched by the Ministry<strong> of Home Affairs (MHA)<\/strong> for <strong>online sharing of information<\/strong> on crime &amp; criminals on <strong>24&#215;7 <\/strong>basis among various Law Enforcement Agencies and ensure seamless flow of information between them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ujjawala Scheme (by Ministry of Women and Child Development): <\/strong>A comprehensive scheme for the prevention of trafficking and rehabilitation of victims through rescue, reintegration, and repatriation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Initiatives Related To Child Trafficking<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons<\/strong>: It is known as the <strong>Palermo Protocol <\/strong><strong><em>(adopted by UNGA in 2000<\/em><\/strong><strong>)<\/strong>, that provides a framework for countries to combat trafficking through prevention, protection, and prosecution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Report on Trafficking in Persons: <\/strong>It is published by the <strong>United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)<\/strong>, highlighting the trends, patterns, and regional analyses of trafficking.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>2024 Edition:<\/strong> It revealed a 25% increase in detected trafficking victims, with children accounting for 38% of all victims detected worldwide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Labour Organization (ILO): <\/strong>It works to eliminate child labor, a form of trafficking, through initiatives like the <strong>International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Supreme Court&#8217;s judgment serves as a wake-up call for parents, authorities, and society at large to address the growing threat of child trafficking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By emphasizing vigilance, accountability, and swift legal action, the court has laid the groundwork for combating this heinous crime.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/beware-of-child-traffickers-sc-cautions-parents\/article69452889.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Recently, the Supreme Court of India has issued a warning to parents across the country, urging them to remain vigilant against the growing menace of child trafficking.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Current Scenario and Statistics<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Over 10,000 cases of trafficking were reported, yet only 1,031 convictions were secured (Between 2018 and 2022).<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh are among the top states with the highest number of trafficked children.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/17-04-2025\/supreme-court-on-child-trafficking\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41382"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41427,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41382\/revisions\/41427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}