Vulnerability of Women and Child Trafficking: Prevention is the Need of Hour

Abstract

The widespread contemporary exploitation of men, women and children is unacceptable to people of conscience the world over. Traditional approaches to preventing trafficking in human beings, to protect and assist trafficked persons and bring criminals to justice have had some small impact on the global phenomenon, but not enough. That even one young person is denied the benefits of childhood, that one young woman is subjected to the brutal humiliation of sexual exploitation and that one man become the slave of a cruel taskmaster in another country are clear signals that we must renew both our resolution as well as our initiatives to protect those who are vulnerable. The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UNGIFT) was born out of a renewed commitment by the world leaders in the battle against human trafficking to end this crime, one of the most shocking violation of human rights in the world today. Formally launched in March 2007 by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), and made possible by a generous grant from the United Arab Emirates. UNGIFT is a call to action, reminding Governments, civil society across, the media, the business community and concerned individuals of their common commitments to fight trafficking in persons, and that this battle cannot be fought, or won alone. The Trafficking Protocol was adopted in November 2000 and had ratified by 116 countries as on 4 December 2007. Since the adoption of the Protocol, the international community has witnessed an explosion of popular and political interest in combating that trafficking in human beings reflected in an influx of funds, widespread awareness raising campaigns, features films and numerous books, the enactment of anti-trafficking legislation around the world. Law enforcement-centred training and the rapid escalation and victim support services provided by non-governmental, international or regional organisations. These measures are being implemented within the framework established in the Trafficking Protocol, now known as ‘3P’ approach, focusing on the prevention of the crime; the prosecution of offenders are the protection of victims. Present paper is an attempt to understand the severity of the problem of trafficking globally in general and India in particular.