Project Aasara

PROJECT AASARA WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN ENTIRE ANDHRA PRADESH STATE SOON
DGP of Andhrapradesh has issued instruction to implement aasara project for prevention of human trafficking in entire state. While appreciating initiative of Nalgonda police he remarked that due to this project image of police has gone up in public eye.
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The Times of India
Online
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1248700.cms
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Anti-prostitution laws in for drastic revamp
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2005 01:13:49 AM ]
NEW DELHI: The government is planning to revise anti-prostitution laws drastically to provide for the imprisonment and fine for anyone caught with prostitutes and to drop provisions, which make soliciting a crime. The existing law provides for action only against prostitutes.
The amendment, proposed by the Department of Women and Child and awaiting cabinet clearance, provides for three-month imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 for the patrons. The Department has also proposed to do away with Sections 8 and 20 of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA), which makes soliciting a punishable offence.
The proposed change is being justified on the grounds that most sex workers are victims of circumstances. The perception that most engage in prostitution due to compulsions has also led the department to drop Section 20 of ITPA, which provides for the eviction of prostitutes.
The punishment for traffickers, however, is proposed to be made stringent. Those convicted will face imprisonment upto 10 years and fined Rs 1 lakh. As in the case of the Money Laundering Act, the proposed law seeks to confiscate all the property of those guilty of trafficking.
The existing law provides for confiscation of property above Rs 3 lakh. To control largescale human trafficking in the country, the new proposal talks about setting up a central nodal agency like a Central Narcotics Bureau.
Simultaneously, the definition of human trafficking has been broadened in the new proposal prepared under the guidelines of the United Nations Convention against Trans-national Organised Crimes.
Under the broader definition, trafficking in persons shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion for purpose of exploitation.
Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.
The existing law deals only with sexual slavery. The new law will introduce for the first time the definition of a child as any person below the age of 18 years.
Under the existing Act, three categories of persons are mentioned, namely a 'child' as a person who has not completed 16 years of age, a 'minor' as a person who has completed 16 years but not 18 years and a 'major' as a person who has completed 18 years of age.
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