DCW to push govt to finalise policy for rehabilitation of trafficking victims

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has said that it will soon move a proposal with the Delhi government, asking them to formulate a policy for rehabilitation of rescued victims and improvement of shelter homes in the national capital.

A draft policy pertaining to the issue was framed in March this year. The policy was kept in public domain for stakeholders to give their comments. However, the draft policy had some issues and the government had asked the Commission to rework it. The DCW had, in 2017, set up a 16-member expert panel to work on the policy. The same panel was asked to rework it.

Around 60 per cent of those rescued in the 573 rescue operations carried out by the DCW in the last three years are victims of human trafficking — whose rehabilitation have been problematic, DCW officials said. The policy on the issue, DCW officials said, will aim to reduce the rate of rescued victims falling back into the trap of trafficking for lack of rehabilitation steps such as skill training to earn a living.

DCW chief Swati Maliwal said, “So far, rehabilitation of victims has been a major problem due to the lack of a state-level policy on the issue. We are waiting for the recommendations of the expert committee, following which we will write to the government again and ask them to finalise the policy. If required, we may start a pilot project on the basis of the expert panel’s suggestions.”

The policy, she said, will include improvements to the condition of shelter homes in the city. “The city needs a more organised policy for improving conditions of shelter homes where victims are housed for rehabilitation,” she said.

At present, there are 75 shelter homes for women in the city. Only last month, the commission had rescued 73 women —reportedly victims of trafficking rescued from south Delhi’s Munirka and Maidangarhi and north Delhi’s Paharganj.