Set-up Anti-Human Trafficking Units: MHA to States, UT’s

New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked states to immediately set up specialized task forces at the state level and all districts and mandate women help desks in police stations to deal with such cases.

In letters to Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police, the MHA said the three-tier mechanism is needed to tackle the menace in a “comprehensive and full-bodied manner”

1-Each State shall notify a State-Headquarter level Anti Human Trafficking Bureau headed by an Additional Director General of Police level officer to oversee and coordinate all trafficking related issues within the State and for coordination with other States/UTs.

2- States shall notify an Anti Human Trafficking Unit in every District of the State, which shall be responsible for all human trafficking-related matters in each District and will report to the State-Headquarter level Anti Human Trafficking Bureau. Each District level AHTU shall function under the supervision of a Superintendent of Police/Deputy Superintendent of Police level officer and will be responsible for monitoring and coordinating all activities in the District

3-States shall notify a Women Help Desk in every Police Station of the State. The Women Help Desk shall inter-alia also be responsible to undertake matters of rescue, prevention, protection, and support investigation of human trafficking cases of women of the respective jurisdiction and will coordinate activities with other Police Stations and will also perform such duties and responsibilities as directed by the District AHTU.

4-By establishing the above arrangement, each State will have a Unit for preventing and countering human trafficking at all levels of the State/UT – Headquarters of the State/UT, District level and Police Station level, thus dealing with the problem of human trafficking in a comprehensive man

5-ll States and UTs are requested to notify appropriate Units at all levels as per the scheme indicated above and inform the Ministry of Home Affairs about notification of such Units at an early