Meghalaya HC Chief Justice for collective efforts to check human trafficking
SHILLONG, Aug 11 - The Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, Mohammad Yaqoob Mir, today said �the people are losing faith in the system� as human trafficking continues to rise and said serious �soul searching� has to be done to stop this organised �crime against humanity�.
In his address at the one-day judicial colloquium on anti-human trafficking organised by the Meghalaya State Judicial Academy at the High Court of Meghalaya here, Justice Mir said human trafficking is the third largest organised crime across the globe and has been on the rise due to a number of factors.
The Chief Justice said people are losing faith in the judiciary and the police due to poor conviction rate in such cases of human trafficking. �There is some fault somewhere,� he said.
Stating that there would be a catastrophe if human trafficking was not stopped, Justice Mir said that a collective approach was needed to discharge the Constitutional obligations to stop this crime.
The Chief Justice said that the need of the hour is not having new laws to curb this dangerous crime, but proper implementation of the existing laws. In this regard, he suggested a proactive judiciary and proper police training .
Human trafficking is not only a serious crime but also a serious human exploitation, and millions of victims of human trafficking are from Asia, Justice Mir said while addressing judicial officers, senior police officers, State and district nodal officers of anti-human trafficking, lawyers and NGO representatives.
PM Nair, a former IPS officer and nodal officer at the National Human Rights Commission, said �human trafficking is a Constitutional crime�.
He said people have to join hands to stop this dangerous crime with its vast international network. Nair stated that traffickers are using technologies such as the social media to lure young boys and girls these days. �Facebook and other social media platforms are being misused and so this crime has entered our bedrooms,� Nair said.
Stating that human trafficking violates several Constitutional provisions, Nair said traffickers are taking advantage of the loopholes in the legal procedures and furthering their crime through mediums such as medical tourism and surrogacy apart from the traditional routes.
Judicial colloquiums on anti-human trafficking are being held throughout the country to sensitise magistrates, judges, police officials and NGOs on the laws relating to trafficking.
