Human trafficking a matter of concern: Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court Mohammad Yaqoob Mir

Shillong: Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir, Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court said that the issue of human trafficking appears to be unassuming on the surface but a closer look reveals that the menace of human trafficking is a cause for concern.

Justice Mir, who is also the Patron-in-Chief Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA) stated this while delivering the keynote address at the 2nd Regional Consultation on Child Right in the Context of Human Trafficking (sex & bonded labour) in North East India at Yojana Bhavan, Shillong on September 22.

The consultation was organized by International Justice Mission (IJM) & North East for Child Rights under the aegis of the Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA) and Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA).

Justice Mir further lamented that lamented the North East has emerged as hub of human trafficking in India, where unemployment, poverty, migration for search of jobs are some of the reasons of human trafficking.

The Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice pointed out that the state has the largest number of child trafficking after Assam, he said that in the coal mines of Jaintia hills, Meghalaya thousands of children are working in hazardous conditions.

He said Assam has the highest number of trafficking cases in the country with 1494 cases. The state accounts for 22 percent of the total reported cases of trafficking as per report released by National Crime Records Bureau 2015.

He noted that Assam with protracted insurgency problem coupled with recurrent flood, peculiar geographical setting has made it vulnerable to infiltration.

While lauding Mizoram for being the first state in NE to formulate the Victim of Crime Compensation Scheme, Justice Mir however said that in spite of these novel measures, human trafficking is still active in the state.

On Manipur scenario, Justice Mir said the state has emerged as the new source of cross border human trafficking in India and also being used as an easy transit route.

While highlighting these scenarios, Justice Mir said introspection is required to meet the challenge of human trafficking. He said collective responsibility of stakeholders, state legal services authority and police to take care of the rights of the children and save them from being exploited.

Delivering special address, Justice Arup Kumar Goswami, Chief Justice (Acting) Gauhati High Court and Patron-in-Chief, NSLSA said child rights and human trafficking are concepts which are at opposite pole as trafficking crushes the rights of a child.