The Punjab Police’s Community Affairs Division (CAD), in collaboration with the NGO Just Rights for Children, organised a State-level consultation on Human Trafficking at the State Judicial Academy here on Monday. Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, while delivering the inaugural address, emphasised that human trafficking is a grave exploitative crime that targets the vulnerable and underprivileged for monetary gain.
He highlighted that it destroys human lives, leading to long-term physical and mental health consequences, and requires resolute action. "However, being a continuous offence across State borders, it cannot be tackled without collaboration between Police and other Government bodies, where the Labour Department, Women and Child Development Department, and Non-Governmental Organisations across various States work together," he said.
The DGP stressed the critical need for interstate and interagency collaboration to effectively counter human trafficking. The consultation saw participation from different stakeholders from the Police, Social Security Women and Child Development, Labour Department of Punjab Police.
Special DGP CAD Punjab Gurpreet Deo stated, "India now stands equipped with some of the world's strongest anti-trafficking laws, strengthened further through the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. Yet, strong laws must be matched with strong implementation since legislation by itself cannot end this crime.
What we urgently need is mass public awareness, strong coordination across all law enforcement agencies, and, above all, timely legal action against offenders.” During the event, Special DGP Railways Shashi Prabha along with Arun Tripathi and Prakash Kumar Panda, Divisional Commissioners of Railway Protection for Kharagpur and Ambala, discussed collaboration modalities between the Railway Protection Force, NGOs, and Punjab State GRP.
Special DGP Cyber Crime Punjab V Neeraja acquainted participants with the role and use of cyberspace in facilitating trafficking. SP Civil Rights Rajasthan Harsh Vardhan Agarwalla made a presentation on best practices in tackling trafficking in Rajasthan. Police officers from Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, and the Regional Office of UIDAI Chandigarh also participated in the deliberations.
Chairperson Punjab State Commission for Women Raj Lalli Gill and Chairperson Punjab State Commission for Children Kanwardeep Singh also attended the consultation and shared their views.