Tech being used to traffic people, cops need to update skill: Experts

After arms and drugs, human trafficking is the biggest criminal industry in the world. We are developing our policing to increase efficiency and the skills... to control this. ANURADHA SHANKAR, ADGP, Madhya Pradesh Police

NEW DELHI: At least 1,000 online services operating from Delhi are using technology as a medium for trafficking women and children, experts said.

The FXB India Suraksha, a non-profit organisation working to provide development assistance to marginalised women and children, along with the British high commission and the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation organised a youth dialogue on Tuesday to mark “world day against human trafficking”.

“In most cases of organised trafficking the culprits use highend technology. Many websites that claim to offer escort services engage in sale and purchase of women and young children and this is just the tip of the iceberg. In Delhi alone, at least 1000 websites were found to be links of a trafficking network,” said Mamta Borgoyary, chief executive officer, FXB India Suraksha.

She said that to nail such networks, the police will also need to be trained to match their expertise and technology

Apart from Borgoyary, Richard Barlow, head of political and bilateral affairs at the British high commission, Anuradha Shankar, additional director general (ADGP) at Madhya Pradesh Police and Vijay Mahajan, secretary and CEO at Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, also attended the talk to highlight the global problem of human trafficking on Tuesday.

Narrating her experiences in tackling the cases of human trafficking in MP, Shankar said that the 70% of the transactions of trafficking is done online, which is keeping police departments on their toes. “After arms and drugs, human trafficking is the biggest criminal industry in the world. We are developing our policing to increase efficiency and the skills that we are developing now will help control this crime,” she said.

Assuring the British high commission’s partnership in India to eradicate the trafficking network around the world, Barlow said that they are undertaking several initiatives in India to empower the victims of child labour, sex trafficking, bonded labour and rehabilitate them.

“The UK government has collaborated with senior police officers in tackling trafficking and trained more than 1,000 police officers from UP, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and members of Assam Rifles (paramilitary forces), Haryana, Punjab, Hyderabad and Delhi,” Barlow said.