Shillong, Aug 11: A judicial colloquium on Anti-Human Trafficking was organised on Saturday by the Meghalaya State Judicial Academy for judicial officers, police officers, lawyers, state government officials, state/district nodal officers for Anti-Human Trafficking, state NGOs and state commissions to sensitize magistrates and judges how women and children experienced the process of law relating to human trafficking.
The colloquium was held at the Conference Hall of Meghalaya High Court of Meghalaya here, where resource persons gave their presentations on various topics related to human trafficking and how to deal with victims and the traffickers.

Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir who inaugurated the colloquium said that the Northeast is also facing the threat of human trafficking especially when it is being surrounded by international borders.

Citing poverty as one of the main reasons, he said that human trafficking is not only a crime but serious exploitation and human rights violation where lakhs of victims from Asia were also trafficked. The Chief Justice said that human trafficking has taken in the interiors.

Sharing his concern, Chief Justice said, “when we have plenty of laws in place including stringent clauses, why trafficking and other crimes are taking place? Why laws not able to deter such crimes and where are the deficiencies? But there are some flaws somewhere. Amending laws and incorporating stringent clauses will not help if the implementation is not effective. We have to ensure that people fear of the law and ensure that they do not lose faith in the system.”

He urged the law enforcing people to implement laws effectively to make people fear of the law and ensure that citizens do not lose faith in the system.

He also said that human trafficking is the third largest organized crime across the globe, and catastrophe will occur if the crime is not stopped.

The Chief Justice also called for tackling the menace of human trafficking collectively and together discharged the constitutional obligations to curb this menace, domestically, nationally and internationally.

Talking about challenges, he said, “bringing offenders to book and rehabilitating victims is a challenge. There is a need to also provide proper training to police officers and ensure that people have faith in the system.

Later resource persons including former IPS officer, P.M. Nair gave presentations on challenges and innovations in the field of human trafficking with special focus on sexual exploitation of women and children.

Nair also interacted with the participants and guided the law enforcing people how to go about while dealing with the issue related to human trafficking.

Judge of Meghalaya High Court, Justice S. R. Sen was also present.

The judicial colloquium on Anti-Human Trafficking was held throughout the country to sensitize magistrates and judges as to how women and children experience the process of law relating to trafficking, to enable magistrates and judges to take proactive decisions and exercise discretion as provided under the law that will be most beneficial and just to the victim, and most stringent to the traffickers and focus on procedures for speedier disposal of trafficking cases and taking stringent punitive action against traffickers.