Human trafficking cases up by 10% in 2013, shows police data

On an average, three victims of human trafficking were rescued daily by the police last year, data released by the force has revealed.

On an average, three victims of human trafficking were rescued daily by the police last year, data released by the force has revealed.

According to the Delhi Police, their focus of cracking down on interstate pimps and conmen who were involved in luring young adults and children on the pretext of getting them jobs in the Capital, also resulted in a ten percent increase in the number of cases of human trafficking registered in 2013.

“In 2012, only 186 cases of human trafficking had been registered. Comparatively, in 2013 the number of such cases shot up to 210,” said a senior police officer.

Prodded for a break-up, he said in 2012 only 92 cases of minors being trafficked had been registered, while in 2013 the number shot up to 101.

According to the crime branch, as many as 1,032 victims of human trafficking were rescued in 2013 as compared to 953 in 2012. However, a closer look at the numbers revealed that while the recovery of the number of males went up, the number of females recovered, worryingly saw a decline.

“While 872 men were recovered in 2013 compared to 768 in 2012, we were able to recover only 160 women last year as compared to 185 in 2012,” the officer admitted.

The torture and subsequent death of a 35-year-old maid by the wife of a politician in Chanakyapuri late last year had brought the issue of human trafficking back into the limelight, sources believed.

Later, HT had on December 12, reported the Delhi Police’s decision to not invoke criminal charges against individual sex workers and their clients.