NHRC And HNLU Raipur Organise Conference On 'Combating Human Trafficking In The Digital Age'

The National Human Rights Commission and Hidayatullah National Law University organised a Conference on 'Combating Human Trafficking in the Digital Age' on 07.02.2025. Delivering the Inaugural address the Chairperson of NHRC, Justice V Ramasubramanian urged for the need for effective national and international steps to combat the crime of human trafficking. He underlined the huge surge in human trafficking from the data available which require awareness in digital navigation and International collaboration to contain this organized crime which is carried out with the aid of the complex digital network. He urged the younger generation for appropriate safe practices when using the net with social media in particular.

Ms. R. Shangeetha, Secretary & Commissioner, Excise, Commercial Tax (Excise) Department, Government of Chhattisgarh delivering the address as Guest of Honour narrated her field experience of tackling the menace of human trafficking and the measures taken by the CG government to combat it. She lamented that most of the cases do not result in conviction for lack of procedural rigour and urged the law student to take a proactive role in building awareness, helping the victims and joining hands with the efforts of the Government,

Earlier in giving the opening remarks, Prof. Dr. Vivekanandan, Vice Chancellor of HNLU traced the history of human trafficking during colonial times as indentured labour, slavery from the African Continent and continuing in modern times cashing on issues of poverty, internal conflicts, war and gullibility of juveniles. He remarked that the digital aid of such crime has not got the due attention and require an effective legal framework taking digital complexities into account.

The Inaugural session had Dr. Deepak Srivastav Registrar in Charge welcoming the dignitaries and gathering, and Dr. Debmita Mondal, faculty of HNLU and Secretary of the event briefed on the structuring of the conference and its importance to deal with Human Trafficking from the digital perspective.The Event also had the release of HNLU Gazette - the newsletter of the University by the dignitaries.

The Conference first panel discussion had the theme of “Role of the Internet in Facilitating Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling – A Legal and Regulatory Perspective,” dealing with internet facilitation of human trafficking and migrant smuggling, which complicates the enforcement efforts. The Panel had :

• Ms. Bhamati Balasubramaniam, Retired IAS and Former Member, Central Administrative Tribunal, emphasized that trafficking can occur without physical movement, highlighting Northeast India's trafficking concerns.
• Dr. Sanjeev Shukla, Inspector-General of Police, Bilaspur Range, Chhattisgarh, stressed the importance of rehabilitation programs to break the cycle of re-trafficking.
• Dr. KVK Santhy, Professor of Law, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, discussed the need for stronger cyber-patrolling and judicial reforms.
• Mr. Kirtan Rathore, Additional Superintendent of Police, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, shared case studies and emphasized the need for expedited trials.
• Ms. Pratibha Tiwari, Additional Superintendent of Police, Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh, detailed the role of technology in trafficking, including fake job offers and cryptocurrency transactions.

The Key Recommendations of the panel were: -

• Strengthening cybercrime and anti-human trafficking units with trained personnel.
• Expanding AI and cyber surveillance to track traffickers and identify victims.
• Mandating ISP cooperation for monitoring and reporting trafficking-related activities.
• Enhancing victim rehabilitation programs to prevent re-trafficking.

The second panel discussion session titled “Preventive Strategies Against Human Trafficking: Role of Technology, Law Enforcement Agencies, Victim Support, and Community Engagement,” focused on preventive strategies to combat human trafficking, emphasizing technological interventions, law enforcement coordination, victim rehabilitation, and community engagement. The expert panellists and their views are:

• Dr. Manish Mishra, Joint Director, Chhattisgarh Human Rights Commission, highlighted the ancient origins of human trafficking and the need for stronger laws and victim-centric policies.
• Dr. Purushotam Chandrakar, Member, Child Welfare Committee (Raipur), discussed the importance of rehabilitation programs and legal frameworks for protecting trafficked children.
• Ms. Pallabi Ghosh, Founder & Director, Impact and Dialogue Foundation (Kolkata), stressed community vigilance and education to prevent trafficking, warning about the misuse of social media platforms by traffickers.
• Mr. Ritesh Kumar, Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF (Raipur), emphasized the role of international organizations in fighting trafficking and protecting children.
• Prof. (Dr.) Vishnu Konoorayar, Professor of Law, HNLU, analyzed legal challenges and recommended strengthening India's legal framework with specialized courts, faster trials, and stricter penalties.

The Key Recommendations were: -

• Leveraging technology like AI, geo-tagging, and cyber tools to track trafficking activities and aid law enforcement.
• Strengthening victim support with safe houses, psychological care, and financial assistance programs.
• Enhancing international cooperation for intelligence sharing and cross-border crackdowns on trafficking networks.
• Implementing stricter law enforcement with dedicated anti-trafficking units and faster prosecution mechanisms.
• Raising awareness in vulnerable communities to prevent recruitment by traffickers.

Valedictory Session of the Conference

The Valedictory session had Shri Joginder Singh, Registrar Law NHRC, as the Chief Guest, who highlighted the pressing issue of human trafficking in the digital era and urged for a victim-centered approach to tackling the crimes.

The Event also had the MOU signing between HNLU and Shri Rawatpura Sarkar University of Raipur on academic collaboration by Dr. Deepak Srivastava, Registrar (In-charge) and Dr. Saurabh Kumar Sharma, Registrar of Shri Rawatpura Sarkar University.