India Country Report - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

CHAPTER
2
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA INITIATIVES
Drawing strength from the Constitution of <strong>India</strong> where trafficking of human
beings or persons is prohibited under Article 23 (1), the mandate for
prevention and combating trafficking in persons has received significant
attention from the Government. In view of the multi-faceted issues associated
with trafficking, the task and responsibility to fight this crime cut across
different Ministries/Departments and also State Governments as the subject of
trafficking falls within the purview of both the Centre and State mandates.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Government of <strong>India</strong>,
is the nodal ministry, which deals with the subject of prevention of trafficking
in women and children for commercial sexual exploitation. In its efforts, MWCD
works very closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Overseas
<strong>India</strong>n Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Labour and
Employment.
Law enforcement is primarily a state subject. However, the MHA deals with all
the matters related to Law Enforcement, especially the provisions of The Immoral
Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA) and specific provisions of the <strong>India</strong>n Penal Code
(IPC). In addition, the MHA has under its aegis, special enforcement agencies
such as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Border Security Force (BSF), and
the National Bureau for Crime Records, which compiles crime statistics. The
MEA handles issues related to international treaties and protocols dealing with
trafficking, and also the care and support to victims of trafficking across borders,
while the Ministry of Overseas <strong>India</strong>n Affairs deals with the issues relating to
migration, with a special focus on prevention of unsafe migration. The Ministry
of Labour and Employment focuses on all matters related to the enforcement of
labour laws, and rehabilitation and repatriation of child labour.
The Government of <strong>India</strong>
has built strong linkages
and partnerships with
various stakeholders
including civil society,
NGOs, corporate
sector, international
organizations etc., in all
its endeavours to build
an integrated response
to prevent and combat
trafficking in persons,
especially of women and
girl children.
The Government of <strong>India</strong> has built strong linkages and partnerships with various
stakeholders including civil society, NGOs, corporate sector, international
organizations etc, in all its endeavours to build an integrated response to
prevent and combat trafficking in persons, especially of women and girl children.
As the problems related to trafficking are varied, a multi-pronged holistic
approach has been adopted to prevent and combat this evil. These include:
Legislations
Law enforcement
Special measures for prevention of trafficking
<strong>India</strong> <strong>Country</strong> <strong>Report</strong>
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