Kashmir : Human trafficking, child abuse

Kashmir – Human trafficking in the shape of child labour, and marriage of minor girls have become major problems in Jammu and Kashmir, and the state police has been grappling with these challenges, the state’s police chief said Wednesday.

Kashmir Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abdul Ghani Mir said police officers, in different units, have been working to prevent trafficking. Mir was speaking at a workshop here on the juvenile justice system.

“Although its magnitude is not so much as in some other parts of the country, human trafficking is becoming a major problem in Kashmir,” Mir said.

The IGP said although there were laws against the menace in the state, police officers needed to ensure that these were effectively enforced.

“Investigating officers need to be proficient enough to make strong cases against those involved in the crime, since children and women belong to vulnerable sections of society,” he told participants at the workshop.

The Kashmir police chief also complimented Save the Children, an international non-governmental organisation, for holding the workshop.

Referring to incidents of rape which involved child victims, the IGP said it is the duty of the investigating officer to prepare fool-proof cases so that culprits are awarded maximum punishment by courts of law.