Over 400 Children Trafficked in Assam in Five Years

The government plans to introduce a new law to address the issue and measures have been taken to strengthen Anti-Human Trafficking Units.

Over 400 Children Trafficked in Assam in Five Years

Guwahati: In the year 2021, a total of 203 cases of human trafficking were recorded in Assam, and 349 individuals were arrested for their involvement in these cases. This information was shared by Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ajay Kumar Mishra, in response to a question asked by Arunachal MP Tapir Gao during a Lok Sabha Question Hour session. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles crime statistics reported by the States and Union Territories and publishes them in its annual publication "Crime in India".

Arunachal reported only 3 cases, with 5 persons arrested, while Assam had the highest number of cases in the northeastern states, with 203 cases reported and 349 individuals arrested. Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim reported no such cases, whereas Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura reported only one case each.

On a related note, the Women and Child Development Minister of Assam, Ajanta Neog, recently disclosed that 481 children were trafficked from various parts of the state between 2017 and 2022. The state government is taking steps to prevent child trafficking, including introducing a new law to address the issue.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has provided financial assistance to strengthen Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and establish new ones in all districts of the states and Union Territories, including the North-Eastern states and Assam. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was also authorized to investigate cases of human trafficking under the amended National Investigation Agency Act of 2008. India has also signed bilateral Memorandums of Understanding with Bangladesh, UAE, Cambodia, and Myanmar and multilateral instruments on human trafficking to address cross-border and transnational issues. The Border Security Force (BSF) has established 15 AHTUs on the Indo-Bangladesh border with financial support from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

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