Centre To Help Build Infrastructure To Combat Child Trafficking In Border Areas

The Central Government has decided to provide financial assistance to the states and UTs in Border areas to set up protection and rehabilitation homes for the victims of trafficking particularly for the minor girls and young women, an official release said on Tuesday (14 July).

The homes will provide services like shelter, food, clothing, counselling, primary health facilities and other daily requirements.

"The victim girls will be produced before CWC [Child Welfare Committee] to declare fit facility for providing sponsorship as per the Mission Vatsalya  scheme  guidelines and accordingly, the states/UTs will be requested to do the needful," the Ministry of Women and Child Development said in a release.

The ministry said that the government has provided funding to all states and UTs under Nirbhaya Fund to set up and strengthen Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in every district of the country.

In addition, funding has also been provided for AHTUs in Border Guarding Forces such as BSF and SSB. As on date, 788 AHTUs including 30 in Border guarding forces are functional, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, India is a source as well as destination country for trafficking of persons. The source countries are Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar from where women and girls are getting trafficked in the guise of proving better life, jobs and a good living condition In India, the ministry said.

A majority of them are minor girls/ women of younger age, who are after their arrival in India are sold and forced into commercial sex work, it added.

These girls/ women often reach major cities like Mumbai Delhi, Hyderabad, etc, from where they are taken out of country mainly in Middle East and South East Asia.

According to the ministry, this is the reason why, the bordering states to these countries need to be more vigilant and have adequate facilities to provide relief and rehabilitation services to the victims of trafficking.