Human Trafficking is a process of trapping humans especially women and children for the sexual purpose and child labour.
It includes forcible capturing of humans by fraud, coercion and malignant purpose to exploit them for commercial or personal gains.
The United Nations Protocol to prevent suppress and punish trafficking in persons define human trafficking as,
"The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud ,of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or recieving of payments or benefits to achieve for consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation".
People can be trafficked for many reasons such as for sexual exploitation, begging, child labour, engaging in manufacturing of drugs like cannabis or marijuana and for organ removal.

Major Causes of Human Trafficking:-

POVERTY: Poverty is a vital cause of human trafficking. Due to poverty they lack financial support to protect themselves and thus become victims of trafficking. They are forced to engage in sexual purpose or labor to fulfill basic necessities of life.
UNEMPLOYMENT: in India unemployment rate is very high and at an alarming level, as per the reports of United Nations Development Programme, employment rate is at 3.5% in India and because of deficiency of any financial assistance, they are strained to trade sex in order to sustain livelihood.
LACK OF EDUCATION: A lack of access to good education is another foremost reason behind human trafficking. Due to lack of education, children personality remains underdeveloped and thus it hinder their future.
They are used as a tool by trafficking their parents and children on a faux assurance of providing good jobs and a financial support.
MIGRATION: People often migrate from their countries to another in search of employment. Traffickers use them by offering jobs and typically using them for trafficking.
LACK OF HUMAN RIGHTS: Mainly marginalized groups lack human rights causing them to fall prey of trafficking. As marginalized or vulnerable groups lack protection because of the absence of enforcement of laws in India.

Laws for the Protection Against Human Trafficking in India:-

ITPA, immoral trafficking prevention Act, through this law Indian Government can punish trafficking for commercial purpose with 7 years of imprisonment.

Human trafficking is prohibited under:

The Bonded labour Abolition Act.
Child labour Act and Juvenile justice Act.
Article 23 of the Indian constitution prohibits human trafficking and forms of bonded labour.
It's is also prohibited under the directive principles of state police in part lV of the Indian constitution under Article 39(e) and 39(f).
Section 366(A) and 372 of the Indian penal code, prohibits kidnapping and selling of minors for prostitution. One can be penalized for the 10 years of imprisonment for the crime.

Under Section 370 of IPC

Whoever imports, exports, removes, buys ,sales or disposes of any person as a slave or accepts, or detains against his will any person as a slave shall be punished with imprisonment for a term, which may extend upto seven years with fine.
Anti trafficking bill was passed in Lok sabha in 2018,by the Union Minister of women and child development, Maneka Gandhi but was not passed in the Rajya Sabha. it was for the issue of preventing trafficking, rescue and rehabilitation.
However, bill still remains pending in the Rajya Sabha. Besides these legislations India is a terminus and transit country for human trafficking.
As per the surveys sponsored by the Ministry of women and child development,(MWCD),there are 3 million prostitutes in the country, out of which 40% are children because of the increasing demand of children in prostitution by the customers.
Human Trafficking in India greatly affects both physical and mental health of women. They remain at higher risk of HIV, Tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases.
West Bengal is the state with largest cases of human trafficking in India. As per the a data which was tabled in Parliament on human trafficking that one in every six trafficker arrested from the country is from Bengal .
In 2017, US Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in persons placed India in, “Tier 2" in 2017. ITPA, Labour Abolition Act, Juvenile justice Act like laws are in force but are not purely implemented and to no avail.
The RTI's, revealed that between 2011and 2019, only 107 victims of trafficking had filed applications for compensation with the concerned authorities. Of these , 85 were found eligible for receiving compensation, but the money has only been pay out for 77 victims.
Instead of so many laws human trafficking cannot be reduced or stopped untill we don't help it to curb at an individual level.
This crime can be curbed or decreased by different methods such as breaking the vicious cycle of poverty, more strict laws are required, NGO'S can take a good step to prevent human trafficking by providing knowledge and information to the public. We can encourage working organizations to publish information and raise awareness at large .
And most important is an individual contribution or support. We can do volunteering and support Anti-trafficking efforts in our community and also motivate others to do the same.
We live in a system where individual efforts are emphasized and encouraged. Human Trafficking is a murky and worst crime and anyone can become it's victim. We have to be cautious and vigilant of our surroundings. Don't trust easily on strangers.
If you find something fishy ,act smartly, use your phone. Call police, friend, family anyone of your acquaintance. After all it's you only who can protect yourself and also help others to keep themselves protected.

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