Sex tourism drives illicit trade, experts say, August 5, Caribbean

Campaigns Against Sex Tours: http://www.equalitynow.org/english/campaigns/sextourism-trafficking/sextourism-trafficking_en.html

Historical: http://www.caribvoice.org/Travel&Tourism/sextourism.html

Sex tourism drives illicit trade, experts say

By SUZANNE SHEPPARD Sunday, August 5 2007

THE LURE of sea, sand and sex tourism makes Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean islands attractive, not only to holiday makers, but to organised crime rings involved in the illicit and highly lucrative human trafficking trade.

Read More: http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,61837.html

Five minors rescued from Maharashtra brothels, August 5, India

Strengthening law enforcement response to human trafficking: http://www.unodc.org/pdf/india/vacancies/TORs%20psychosocial%20needs%20assessment%20_%20prosecution%20procedures_%20revised.pdf

Rehabilitation for survivors:
http://aasara.blogspot.com/2007/07/rehabilitation-for-women-victims-of.html

Save the Children:
http://www.savethechildren.in/india/key_sectors/child_trafficking.html

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=249479

Five minors rescued from Maharashtra brothels

Express News Service

Kolkata, August 5: The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), which was inaugrated a month back, has rescued seven young girls from Mumbai and other suburbs of Maharashtra and brought them back to Kolkata. A six-member team went to Maharashtra to rescue the girls, who were trafficked from South 24-Parganas and North 24-Parganas. The girls were sold in various parts of Maharashtra for being used as commercial sex workers. The AHTU team visited Mumbai, Pune, Thane and Kalyan of Maharashtra and rescued the girls. Of the seven, five are minors. Six of them are from South 24-Parganas and one is from Barasat in North 24- Parganas. Officials said in most of the cases, the touts were either female traffickers or young men. After questioning the girls, AHTU officials have not ruled out the involvement of acquaintances or relatives. Officials said that one of girl’s father had sold her to tout, who had taken her to Maharastra. “After conducting a preliminary investigation, we believe that one of theminor’s father might have taken a sum of Rs 1 lakh from the tout,” said Sanjay Mukherjee, DIG, CID. At present, the girls are staying in a city-based NGO. They will be handed to their parents. But if the parents are involved in the trafficking, the girls will not be returned to them, officials stated. “Many cases have been reported from South 24-Parganas. We will send more teams to Maharashtra soon to rescue more girls from different parts of the state,” added Mukherjee. According to police data, in four different operations conducted in the past three months, 20 traffickers were arrested and 14 child victims rescued. Recently, the state government has decided to form a network to fight the menace of human trafficking. The social welfare department will act the nodal agency. The health, backward classes welfare, self-help group and self-employment, panchayat and rural development departments will be a part of the network. Police, CID, NGOs and the state women’s commission will play a key role in the initiative. The primary objective of the network, the first of its kind in the country, is to spread awareness among the people both in the city and the rural areas so that they do not fall prey to this menace. The network comes with the assurance of economic independence and proper rehabilitation of victims. The state government has allotted Rs 1 crore for this purpose. The network was formed following a report on human trafficking prepared jointly by three Calcutta, North Bengal and Burdwan universities.

Draft plan to check human trafficking, August 5, South Asia

Overview of Combating Violence Against Women in India:
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN020004.pdf

US Also focuses on protection and prosecution: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/fpht05.htm

http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/05/stories/2007080554761200.htm

Draft plan to check human trafficking

Special Correspondent

Focus on protection, prosecution

NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Women (NCW) will spell out a draft integrated plan of action to prevent and combat trafficking in women and children that will call for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries to come together to deal with the issue.

Briefing reporters at the end of a two-day national consultation on preventing and combating human trafficking with special focus on children and women here over the weekend, NCW chairperson Girija Vyas said the plan of action would focus on prevention, protection, prosecution and providing necessary help to the victims.

She said the participants felt that prevention strategies should be based on existent ground realities and every State should draw up an action plan after mapping the vulnerable areas ‘at risk.’ Involvement of the corporate sector in prevention and rehabilitation and sensitisation of the community are some other salient features of the action plan, the draft of which would be submitted to the Union Women and Child Development Ministry by the month end before the Union Cabinet’s approval is sought.

Ms. Vyas said the draft plan would suggest involving Ministries such as the Panchayati Raj, Health and Family Welfare, Labour, Tourism, Railways, Road Transport, Education, Defence and even the External Affairs to prevent trafficking and ensure rehabilitation of those rescued since the issue had international manifestations. She suggested the setting up of short-term stay home facilities on the international borders from where trafficking was carried out.

Protocols for repatriation

Stressing the need for identifying institutions that would provide safe custody to the victims, the plan of action would also suggest developing procedures, mechanisms and protocols for repatriation with the neighbouring countries, and sensitisation of the law enforcement agencies and the judiciary.