NOTES AND COMMENTS Cataclysm within Cataclysm: Do Catastrophic Events Impact Child Trafficking?

Abstract

India through her Constitution, legislation, and ratifications to the international conventions has always condemned the felony of trafficking. The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act was inducted in the year 1956 to protect humans from trafficking. Since then, hundreds of cases have been dealt with under the act, but the act remained silent on the most intensifying and escalating issue, i.e., trafficking during the disastrous events. India has faced striking catastrophes almost every two years and with that, the rise has been comprehended in trafficking. Children being easy targets were majorly trafficked from the battered regions. This raises the question as to whether India has taken preventive and protective measures with respect to the trafficking of children in catastrophic times. The paper is discussed on three planes: (1) Whether there is any law that specifically covers the protection of children from being trafficked during catastrophic events, (2) Whether the catastrophic events affect the number of children being trafficked and the intensity of trafficking during such events, (3) Whether the government has righteously approached the apprehension of trafficking during catastrophes. Last, of all, this paper scrutinizes the rescuing and restorative steps taken by the government as well as other organisations to protect the victims of trafficking. In conclusion, the paper put3 forth solutions that need to be implemented and evaluates the 2021 bill on the prevention of trafficking.