Chandigarh: The Haryana Police will run a month-long campaign against human trafficking across the state in April. Through this, it aims to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking and to encourage people to report any suspicious activity related to human trafficking.
According to an official statement, the campaign, which will run from April 1 to April 30, 2023, will involve various activities such as seminars, workshops, street plays, and awareness drives. The Haryana Police will also work closely with NGOs and other stakeholders to conduct rescue operations and provide rehabilitation to the victims of human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is a heinous crime that affects thousands of people every year in the country. The state has unearthed several cases of human trafficking in recent years, and the Haryana Police is committed to putting an end to this menace” said DGP PK Agrawal.
Speaking about the campaign, he further said, "The month-long campaign against human trafficking is a part of our ongoing efforts to combat this crime. We are determined to create a safer environment for our citizens and to ensure that perpetrators of this crime are brought to justice."
The Haryana Police has urged citizens to report any suspicious activity related to human trafficking to the police immediately at 112, its emergency helpline number. The police have assured that the identity of the informer will be kept confidential.
In its communique to field units, SPs and DCPs have been asked to organise the campaign. CPs and IG/ADG Range will weekly review the progress. Performance of field units will be reviewed at the end of the month on the number of missing children and adults traced and beggars and labourers rescued.
Towards this end, police will revisit untraced missing person cases and send police teams to shelters and children homes in adjoining states to see whether any of them are residing there. While missing children cases are registered under Section 363-366 IPC, those of missing adults are registered under Section 346 of IPC.
In 2022, Haryana Police traced 3379 female and 6340 male missing adults. During the year, it also recovered 1144 boy children and 1426 girl children. During the year, it rescued 41 bonded labourers too.
In the same period, twenty-two Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTU) of the State Crime Branch traced missing 316 male adults and 373 females. It also traced 313 boy children and 227 girl children during the year. It rescued 639 male and 294 female beggars and 1300 male and 52 female bonded labourers in 2022.
As per a Supreme Court order, a case of missing person is transferred to state crime branch for further investigation if it remains unsolved in the district for over four months. Through the campaign, Haryana Police in association with the Women and Child Welfare Department, other state police and NGOs aims to bring smiles back to the family by reuniting their loved ones with them. /BI/
