The Indian government will help states and union territories in building infrastructure to combat the menace of child trafficking in frontier regions, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said on Tuesday.
"The Government has decided to provide financial assistance to the States/ UTs in Border areas to set up Protection and Rehabilitation Homes for the victims of trafficking particularly for the minor girls and young women," an official release stated.
The ministry added that these rehabilitation homes will provide the victims with services like shelter, counseling, clothing, healthcare, and other daily needs.
The ministry underlined that it has already approved funds for all states and union territories to establish Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in all Indian districts.
"In addition, funding has also been provided for AHTUs in Border Guarding Forces such as BSF (Border Security Force) and SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal). As of date, 788 AHTUs including 30 in Border guarding forces are functional," the statement elaborated.
What Prompted the Indian Government to Announce the Initiative
The ministry mentioned that India was a source as well as a destination for human trafficking. Moreover, women and girls are getting trafficked to India from nations like Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar after being lured into the trap with the temptation of better life, and jobs.
Among them, the majority is of minor girls and women of younger age, who are often sold and forced into commercial sex work.
The move regarding setting up of AHTUs in border areas comes days after India earned praise from the United Nations (UN) for its efforts towards the protection of children in armed conflict.
Last month, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres removed India from the New York-based global organization's report on the "impact of armed conflict on children".
"In view of the measures taken by the Government to better protect children, India has been removed from the report in 2023," Guterres stated at the time.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Women and Child Development termed it a "big achievement" given India had continuously featured in the report since 2010.
"This is a big achievement for India, having our name removed from this list after so long… many of the systems were simply not in place earlier in Jammu and Kashmir," a high-ranking official of the ministry told reporters in New Delhi following the development.