Getting Back to Society: Rehabilitation of Trafficking in Assam, India

Abstract

Persons, especially Women and Children(UN, 2000). The Protocol calls for prevention of human trafficking, protection and assistance to trafficked victims, and prosecution of perpetrators (Todres, 2006). In this essay, I focus on India and the country's assistance to survivors of trafficking through the Ujjawala (brightness) 1 and Swadhar (reform) 2 schemes. The Government of India describes rehabilitation in the Ujjawala scheme as 'providing safe shelter for victims, with basic inputs of food, clothing, counseling, medical care, legal aid, vocational training, and income generation activities' (Ministry of Women and Child Development, [MWCD], Govt. of India [GoI] & UN Office on Drug and Crime [UNODC], 2008, p. 13). The Ujjawala scheme focuses on trafficking and its prevention, the Swadhar scheme provides aid to women in difficult circumstances, including victims of trafficking. I analyze the assistance provided by two state-run shelters to assist survivors in re-integrating into Indian society. I argue that unless rehabilitation is conceptualized as a right of the survivor and for the survivor, rehabilitation is not possible. Furthermore, I posit that during the 20 years since the Palermo Protocol, states may have established protection programs that address the letter of the law, but still may fall significantly short of addressing the spirit of the law, and fail to provide truly comprehensive victim protection and assistance. The 'rescue and rehabilitation' of trafficking victims approach has been criticized by several authors

COVID-19 and Preventing Child Trafficking – A Need for Collaborative Attitudes between Public Health and Educational Professionals in Supporting Vulnerable Children

“…In India, many law enforcement officials equate trafficking with prostitution, without understanding the implications of this ignorance [14]. This lack of sensitivity is helpful neither to the child nor the parents, but instead builds stigmas around victims of this crime against such vulnerable populations.…”