Vimukti, an organisation set up by the victims of human trafficking, has demanded the State government to expedite the setting up of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) to check the menace.
The setting up of AHTUs in all districts is of utmost importance, said the representatives of ‘Vimukti’ on Thursday.
AHTU, an integrated task force, was set up in 2007 by drawing personnel from the police and other related departments, with the funding by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. However, their expansion to the district level has not done to the desired level, said Vimukti State convenor Mehurinasa.
The three AHTUs set up in the State are yet to be notified at a time when the cases of girls getting trapped is increasing. Traffickers lure gullible girls with on the pretext of job, marriage and etc., said Vimukti State co-convenor Bhanupriya. “More than 92% of the trafficking victims are either women or children. There is an urgent need for plugging the loopholes in the existing laws as the perpetrators of heinous crimes go scot-free on many occasions,” she said, adding that more focus is needed on community-based rehabilitation of victims rather than institution-based rehabilitation.
