Cops Lay Down Guidelines to Prevent Child Trafficking

Date: January 3, 2018

Location: Bhubaneshwar, Odisha

The Crime Branch has developed a standard operating procedure (SOP) that police personnel should follow to prevent child labour and trafficking in the state.

Crime Branch, which is the nodal agency in Odisha to supervise police investigations into offences, said the superintendents of police (SPs) have been asked to launch special drives against child traffickers.

Last year, 55 children were trafficked for child labour in the state, police sources said.

The Crime Branch, in its circular to SPs, said there has been a rise in the trend of employing children in different workplaces and homes.

“We have asked policemen in districts to strengthen the intelligence network and gather information about child traffickers. All police stations have been asked to register FIRs and submit prosecution reports in courts,” said director general of police R P Sharma.

Additional DG (Crime Branch) Santosh Upadhyay said the police in districts should coordinate with NGOs, labour department and women and child development department for protection of children. “We have asked SPs to initiate legal action against private labour contractors and placement agencies operating without valid licence from the labour department. Investigation into child trafficking cases should be completed in a time-bound manner,” Upadhyay told TOI.

Police stations have been asked to conduct awareness campaigns through community meetings in their localities about penal provisions of child and adolescent labour (prohibition and regulation) Act 1986 and juvenile justice (care and protection of children) Act 2015.

“We have a community policing system (Ama police) in each district. Ama police samitis have been set up with locals as members. Such samitis should sensitise people against child labour,” said another police officer.

Read the Times of India (source) article here.