WASHINGTON : For the third year in a row, the U.S. has placed India on its Special Watch List against trafficking for "failing to comply" with the minimum standards to eliminate the scourge. India has been placed in the Tier Two Watch List for failing to show evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking in persons, said the sixth Annual Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report released by the Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice yesterday. "The Government of India does not comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. However, it is making significant efforts to do so," the report said.

"India lacks a national law enforcement response to any form of trafficking but took some preliminary measures to create a central law enforcement unit to do so. However, India did not take steps to address the huge issue of bonded labour and other forms of involuntary servitude," The Indian government also did not take meaningful steps to address its sizeable trafficking related corruption problem,'' the report said.

Taking note of the existing regulations and legislations and those that are being contemplated, the United States urged India to consider designating and empowering a national law enforcement agency, with both investigative and prosecutorial jurisdiction, to deal with inter-state and international trafficking.

"It is particularly important to strengthen and enforce sentences applied to individuals convicted of exploiting bonded labour. India should also improve its long term protection of trafficking victims and institute nationwide public awareness programmes to educate all segments of the population on the dangers of trafficking," the report claimed. .

The report said that over the last year India sustained "modest" efforts but withoutsignificant improvements, with some of the shortcomings being attributed to the relatively short prison sentences for bonded or forced labour.

"The government at all relevant levels neither vigorously investigated nor prosecuted acts of any form of trafficking found in India, nor did it report a significant number of convictions or sentences for these acts of trafficking," it said.

Although India's Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act, , adequately prescribes punishment for trafficking for commercial exploitation, the law has not been used for effective prosecutions it said. — PTI

India rejects it

UNI reports from New Delhi:

India has rejected as judgemental the United States State Department's Report on Trafficking in Persons. The report has placed the country on a "Tier 2 Watch List." A spokesman of the External Affairs Ministry said it would not help in furthering the bilateral dialogue on the subject. ``On the subject of trafficking in persons, as with other areas, we reject judgemental and prescriptive approach by a foreign government.'' .

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail