India's human trafficking record improves: US State Dept

New Delhi, Jun 28: India's efforts to combat human trafficking seem to be paying off. US State dept's latest Trafficking report has upgraded India to Tier 2 after keeping in the "Watch List" for 6 years.

The United States (US) had placed India on the Tier-2 Watch List for human trafficking for the 5th consecutive year as India had failed to take effective measures in combating it, says an article published on Feb 19, 2010.

Human trafficking, termed as modern day slavery or the trade of human flesh can be defined as the commercial trade of human beings that has led India to be a nation with one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS, according to a report.

India's better performance is being linked to efforts across the country to tackle trafficking, mainly crackdown by magistrates in Tamil Nadu and in Mumbai.

In 2009, the Union Home Ministry had asked all districts in the country to set up Anti Trafficking cells to combat the problem. Every year, nearly 70,000 people, specially women and children go missing in the country with the majority believed to having been trafficked or sold.

Sri Lanka came out of the watch list to "Tier 2" this year, 2011. But, on the contrary nations like Bangladesh, Afghanistan and China continues to be in the "Tier 2" watch list.

The State Department estimates that as many as 27 million men, women and children are living in such bondage around the world.

"All countries can and must do more," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in presenting the report."" More human beings are being exploited today than ever before. We're at a critical moment in this fight," she said on Monday, Jun 27.

OneIndia News