Crime Branch Advisory To Prevent Trafficking Of Girls Through Placement Agencies

Cuttack: The Odisha Crime Branch has issued advisory to all district Superintendents of Police, Superintendents of Police, Railways of Cuttack and Rourkela and the Deputy Commissioners of Police of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to take necessary steps to prevent trafficking of girls through placement agencies on the pretext of a job.

Acting on the directive of the Director General of Police (DGP), RP Sharma, the Additional Director General (ADG), Crime Branch (CID), has directed the Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, Additional DGP, Railways, Bhubaneswar, all Range IGs and DIGs to direct aforesaid officials to strictly adhere to the advisory of the Crime Branch.

A release by the Crime Branch (CID) said that acting on the allegation by the Jharkhand MP, Laxman Giluwa, that the innocent girls from Jharkhand are being trafficked to various big cities and the dubious role played by the placement agencies in this process, the Home ministry has laid emphasis on sensitizing the field functionaries of the police department about the issues.

“Like Jharkhand, there have been reports of human trafficking from Odisha to various cities specifically involving young girls. Hence, it is very essential that proactive steps are taken by all the districts to check this menace,” the release said.

The Crime Branch has asked the aforesaid officials should keep a close watch on the touts of placement agencies, who lure the young girls in the name of marriage or job in other parts of the country and maintain a database at each police station against the traffickers who are involved in such type of cases.

To prevent the menace of such crime, an effective coordination is required in collaboration with other stakeholders i.e., Women and Child Development department, Labour department, Tourism, Railways as well as the NGOs for sharing of information.

Public awareness campaigns may be conducted to make the people aware of such activities including the traps laid by the agencies to target the women and girls with a false promise of providing job opportunities.

Besides, private placement agencies and employers may be identified and their activities be kept under close vigil so that they do not indulge in the recruitment and placement of women and girls in hazardous and offensive employment.

To identify the brokers and rescue the victims, a close watch should be kept in all transit points like the railway stations, bus stands, public places, hotels and guest houses.

The NGOs working in the area of anti-human trafficking should be closely associated and their sharing of information and intelligence with the police may be encouraged.

Efforts should be made to identify the trafficking-prone areas and a mechanism be put in place to monitor the activities of the placement agencies.

If complaints are received against private labour recruiters and placement agencies operating without any license or authority, an immediate legal action may be initiated against them.

This apart, during the verification of the passports, the concerned officer shall have to ascertain the purpose of the visit abroad and the involvement of any placement agencies, if any.

The Crime Branch has also asked these officials to strictly follow the advisory and sensitize the officers under their jurisdiction to be very watchful in this matter to avoid any unlawful confinement and victimization of any woman or girl by the recruiters/placement agencies.