India to strengthen human trafficking laws: Patil

Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Friday said that the human trafficking problem in country is no bigger than it is in other nations, and added that the government is seriously thinking about tackling the problem by giving more teeth to existing laws.

New Delhi, Aug.3 : Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Friday said that the human trafficking problem in country is no bigger than it is in other nations, and added that the government is seriously thinking about tackling the problem by giving more teeth to existing laws.

Admitting that the issue did exist in India, Patil said the problem required thoughtful tackling.

"Yes, there is a problem of this kind in India. There is no denying (this fact). But to think that it is bigger than what it is in other countries is not correct. If you take into consideration the number of human beings in India and compare with the cases that are taking place, even if one case is taking place that should not be acceptable. And yet if you look at this problem from a correct perspective, we will be able to form a correct opinion," Patil said in his address at a National Consultation on Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking in New Delhi.

According to the US State Department, South Asia accounts for second highest number of victims of trafficking. India was among 32 countries on US' Watch List, 2006 of countries involved in human trafficking.

"We come across many difficulties, many problems, and that is why it becomes necessary for us to examine the existing laws and find out how the amendments have to be made and introduced in the existing statutes. This process should continue and the Government of India will definitely be able to tackle this issue in this manner," he said.

Travel rackets thrives in India, mainly in the states of Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, where human smuggling has been described as an organized crime.

The travel agents thrives on the clamour of desperate Indians to go abroad for lifestyles they know can never afford in the villages and small towns back home.

Hundreds of thousands of women and girls in India are kidnapped, sold, coerced or trafficked for sex in a highly organised, yet illicit trade which is the world's third most lucrative after arms and drugs.

Almost 6,000 cases of trafficking were registered in 2005, but activists say the real number is much higher and on the rise.

According to the International Labour Organisation, 2.45 million people worldwide are exploited and treated like slaves every year, and another 1.2 million people are trafficked.

ANI