The draft Trafficking of Persons bill 2018 is good, but not good enough. Discuss. (200 words)
Refer – The Hindu
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
Shankaranand 6 years
Please Review
Thank You
IAS Parliament 6 years
Good effort. Include more points about the significance of the bill. Keep writing.
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
Significance
· First ever anti-human trafficking law
· Seeks to unify existing anti-trafficking laws
· Increase the definition to cover labour-trafficking and not just sex-trafficking.
· Survivors to be treated as victims with right to rehabilitation.
· Provisions for cross-border repatriation of victims in case they come from countries like Nepal and Bangladesh.
· The new law will make India a pioneer in formulating a comprehensive legislation to combat trafficking.
Concerns
· The proposed anti-trafficking Bill will criminalise sex workers and transgenders.
· It went against the basic tenets of rehabilitation as it did not distinguish between trafficking and sex work and failed to assure dignity to consenting adult sex workers.
· The law might also lead to a multi-fold increase in violence against sex workers and silence them.
· Forceful rehabilitation as laid down under the proposed legislation would uproot women and deprive them of their source of livelihood.
· It is actually very restrictive in terms of reintegrating victims into society, which should be the ultimate aim.
· Addressing the trauma that victims go through is something that gets totally undetected in the current process.
· The Bill also creates a range of new institutions with unclear roles and offered them with enormous powers including for surveillance.
· However, there seems to be no accountability mechanisms.
