KOZHIKODE: The districts bordering neighbouring states have come in the first four positions in the number of human trafficking cases in the state this year. According to the data available with the state crime records bureau (SCRB), 121 human trafficking cases were registered in the state till October 2021. Idukki tops with 28 cases, followed by Thrissur with 23, Kasaragod with 18 and Kollam with 15. Except Ernakulam, all other districts registered a single digit — three of them zero.
However, police claim the cases do not mean trafficking of people alone, as Section 370 of IPC (human trafficking) get registered along with Pocso and missing cases. The police also say that minors were involved in almost all the registered human trafficking cases.
“As per the latest SC directive, Section 370 should be slapped in Pocso cases with such an angle. These are incorporated in cases such as men eloping with minor girls. Similarly, if a missing case is not solved after three months, sections on human trafficking have to be included. So the numbers do not signify any particular sort of human trafficking,” said C A Antony, DySP in charge of anti-human trafficking unit in Idukki.
According to the district women and child development department, child marriages taking place along the Tamil Nadu borders are also slapped with a section on human trafficking. “Checking child marriages is not prevalent in Tamil Nadu. Tamil origin people living in border areas of Munnar, Kumili and Marayoor used to send their minor girls to Tamil Nadu for marriage when they attain 15-16 years of age. Such child marriage cases when caught attracts Section 370,” said Kiran K Paulose, district child rescue officer at Idukki WCD.
Shaji Jose, DySP, Thrissur Rural, said all 23 human trafficking cases registered in the district involved children. “There is not a single case of human trafficking by definition among these. They are Pocso and other cases related to kids,” he told TNIE.
However, activists working in the field do not buy the police argument. “If that was the case, why hasn’t other districts seen an increase in human trafficking cases? As per SCRB data, human trafficking cases are nil in three districts. Malappuram tops in Pocso cases in the state, but there were only two anti-trafficking cases registered in that district. Meanwhile, more anti-trafficking cases were registered in bordering districts. How can this data be explained?” asked an activist working in a border district, who does not want to be named.
Former DGP Dr P M Nair, who had served as the project director of UN programme to curb human trafficking in India, said even the police data is only a tip of the iceberg. “Our issue is that even a slice of data on the real number of human trafficking cases is unavailable,” he said.
Human trafficking cases in 2021
(SCRB data till October)
Idukki — 28
Thrissur — 23
Kasaragod — 18
Kollam — 15
Ernakulam — 14
Kozhikode — 6
Kannur — 4
Wayanad — 3
Palakkad — 3
Malappuram — 2
T’Puram —2
Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Alappuzha — 0
Railways — 3
Total cases 121