Cabinet Approves Bill to Tackle Human Trafficking, Improve Rehabilitation of Victims

Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018. It will be introduced in Parliament in the second half of the Budget Session, which starts on March 5.

With this law, the government said it aims to “make India a leader among South Asian countries to combat trafficking” by addressing the problem “from the point of view of prevention, rescue and rehabilitation”.

The bill proposes creating a rehabilitation fund for the victims, designating courts in every district for quick, time-bound trials as well as protecting those rescued from traffickers at the earliest. It also proposes rigorous imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of no less than Rs 1 lakh for the guilty.

“A National Anti-Trafficking Bureau will perform the functions of international coordination with authorities in foreign countries and international organisations,” the bill says.

Read The Scroll (Source) article here.

You can read the Press Release by Ministry of Women and Child Development here.

Notes: Since the news about the bill to be introduced in the parliament has been made public, we have been looking for the bill draft on various Government platforms, however we have been unable to find it. If you have access to the bill draft, please write to us at [email protected].