COVER HINDI - Ministry of Women and Child Development

awareness generation programs like peer education,
rally, campaign, poster, booklet, wallpaper, handbill,
street play, puppet show or through any other
traditional art, and use of radio and local news paper.
Prevention activities will also encompass special
interventions for children of sex workers so that they
will not be pushed into prostitution but will receive
all facilities of education and life skills to lead a
decent and respectable life. The other component is
for rescue and rehabilitation of victims of trafficking
for commercial sexual exploitation with the setting
up of special homes and provision of rescue cost,
counseling to overcome psychological trauma,
medical care, legal aid, witness/victim protection,
education vocational training, networking with
various stakeholders, repatriation and restoration
etc. Special inputs are also contemplated for
emerging areas of concern like – child sex tourism,
pedophilia, sex tourism, pilgrim town tourism,
children of sex workers, cross border trafficking etc
Cross Border Trafficking
2.27 The problem of cross border trafficking especially
of young children and women trafficked from Bangladesh
and Nepal into India for the purpose of prostitution has
been growing in recent years. A major problem faced is
the repatriation and reintegration of these victims of
trafficking back to their country of origin, after their rescue.
At present there are no streamlined procedures which are
in place which will enable a humane and quick repatriation
of the victims. For this purpose the ministry requested
UNICEF to initiate a rapid assessment of the existing
processes and mechanisms concerning rescue, recovery
and reintegration of child victims of trafficking between
India and Bangladesh to begin with which can then be
extended to other countries also.
2.28 A draft report has been prepared in consultation with
stake holders both from the Government and NGOs in
India and Bangladesh and preliminary talks with
representatives of both countries is under way in
Kathmandu in December, 2006. It is expected that the
outcome of the talks will lead to the preparation of
guidelines or protocol for repatriation and reintegration
of victims of cross border trafficking.
SAARC convention on Preventing and
Combating Trafficking of Women and
Children in Prostitution
2.29 The M/o External Affairs has been requested to set
up an internal Task force to ensure that the legislations,
programs etc are in place for operationalising the
provisions of the SAARC Convention on Preventing and
Combating Trafficking of Women and Children in
Prostitution. Further, the need for help line and emergency
rescue facilities to be made available in embassies/ high
commissions for trafficked victims abroad has been
emphasised.
Proposed Action Points for Regional
Cooperation for Cross Border Trafficking
2.30 The following Action points for regional cooperation
in preventing and combating trafficking in women and
children for prostitution were suggested for discussions
in the meetings of the Regional Task Force as well as in
the forum of the SAARC Social Charter:
— Identification of gaps in relevant domestic
legislations of the different countries vis a vis
provisions of the SAARC convention and
incorporate the same into the domestic laws,
ensuring at the same time that there is no conflict /
contradiction with other major pieces of national
legislation;
— Compatible legislation in accordance with SAARC
convention to be enacted in all the SAARC countries
so that there are no problems, contradictions or
lacuna in implementing them across the borders;
— Harmonize the definitions and terminology
especially with regard to sensitive definitions such
as ‘prostitute’ sex worker’ ‘sexual exploitation’
‘trafficker’ etc between the countries so that there
is no ambiguity in the implementation;
— Provide a common platform for sharing and
dissemination of information, experience, success
stories, best practices etc between the countries;
— Put into action a methodology for developing an
information and data base systems on select and key
parameters of trafficking for the SAARC countries;
Programmes for Women 33