Up to 44% of trafficking incidents in 2021 involved children, reveals NCRB report

In terms of cases registered under Section 370A of the IPC (exploitation of trafficked persons), Andhra Pradesh leads in the country with 47 incidents and 69 victi

Representative image of three girls

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30 Aug 2022, 10:40 am

There was a 27.7% hike in recorded human trafficking incidents in the country with 2,189 such cases registered last year, compared to 1,714 in 2020, reveals the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for the year 2021. A total of 6,533 individuals have been reported to have been trafficked last year, of whom 2,877 (44%) are children. Up to 5,755 persons were arrested in 2,189 cases of trafficking, as per the report.

Maharashtra has the highest number of cases registered under Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (buying or disposing of any person as a slave) in the country, with 260 incidents of trafficking and 531 victims. The national total is at 1,219 incidents and 2,759 victims. Among the five southern states, Telangana logged the highest number of such cases, with 123 incidents of trafficking and 221 victims. Ten of the incidents were reported in Hyderabad. Tamil Nadu, as per the data, has the least number of incidents (15) and number of victims (19).

Under IPC Section 336B (importation of girls from a foreign country), only Telangana and West Bengal have registered one incident each, according to the NCRB data.

In terms of cases registered under 370A of the IPC (exploitation of trafficked persons), Andhra Pradesh leads in the whole country with 47 incidents and 69 victims. In south, Andhra Pradesh is followed by Telangana with nine incidents and 10 victims. Kerala is the only other state in the south to have cases registered under this IPC Section, with four incidents and four victims. Both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had zero cases under this Section, the NCRB report says. The national total is 115 incidents and 163 victims.

None of the five southern states have cases registered under either IPC Sections 372 (selling of minors for sex work) or 373 (buying minors for the purposes of sex work). The national total for Section 372 is 15 incidents and 18 victims, while for Section 373 it is two incidents and two victims. But there are also cases of human trafficking involving children exploited for sex work registered under Sections 370 and 370A in all five southern states. Kerala has the highest number of such cases in the south in this regard, with 57 incidents and 64 victims.

Also, a look at the data in which cases registered in the five southern states under both IPC Sections 372 and 372A, where the victims are women, is revealing. Except in Tamil Nadu, a majority of the cases involve women.

Meanwhile, the Telangana Police have issued a statement saying that "the higher number of cases of anti-human trafficking registered are attributed to the proactive measures taken by Telangana Police to deal with such crimes effectively and render justice to victims of crime (sic)". Detailing the measures taken by the state government to counter such crimes, the police also stated that "the increase in registration of crimes reflects the proactive efforts of Telangana police in fighting the crime effectively".

NCRB 2021 Report

Up to 44% of trafficking incidents in 2021 involved children, reveals NCRB report

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