Police should be proactive and play a key role in prevention of trafficking in persons mainly children, child sexual abuse and exploitation in the wake of COVID-19, said Superintendent of Police, Guntur Urban, R.N Amireddy. He was addressing a workshop organised by the RAIDS organisation under its Girls Advocacy Alliance A.P. State Programme in association with TdH-NL on Friday.
The workshop addressed the issues relating to child trafficking and relevant laws.
District Judge Y.V.S.B.G. Pardha Sarathi said that judicial officers would be at hand to provide guidance and facilitate on issues in dealing with the cases of human trafficking. He further stated that it was the responsibility of every citizen in the society to curb the crime of trafficking.
Rani, chairperson, Child Welfare Commission, explained the provisions from Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, in dealing with the cases of children in need of care and protection services.
Call for coordinated efforts
K. Ratna Kumar, senior civil judge, District Legal Services Authority, spoke on the need for coordinated efforts by police and other child protection mechanisms in prevention of child trafficking.
Additional SP D. Gangadharam spoke on the enhanced scope of child trafficking and other forms of violence against women and children in the wake of COVID-19 and ensured stringent action by the police to curb such crimes.
