VISAKHAPATNAM: Home minister Vangalapudi Anitha on Saturday called for stronger coordination between police and public prosecutors to effectively combat bonded labour and human trafficking.
She was speaking as the chief guest at a capacity-building workshop for public prosecutors held in Visakhapatnam, where she inaugurated the event by lighting a ceremonial lamp.
Anitha said prosecutors must be involved from the stage of filing charge sheets to ensure stronger cases and higher conviction rates, adding that collection of forensic evidence during the "golden hour" was crucial for securing punishments.
She cited the 20-year sentence delivered in a Posco case in Ongole and "Operation Trace," under which 900 children and 180 individuals stranded abroad were rescued, as examples of effective enforcement. She also stressed the need to expand the use of modern technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, in investigations.
The Minister said the Centre provides `30,000 assistance to victims of bonded labour, while the State government is focusing on rehabilitation through skill development and self-employment programmes.
Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Shankabrata Bagchi said underpayment of wages amounts to forced labour under Article 23 of the Constitution and called for stronger legal measures under the BNSS Act, including in-camera trials and audio-visual evidence recording. He also stressed international cooperation through extradition mechanisms and Interpol Red Notices in trafficking cases.
He said rehabilitation must go hand in hand with punishment and called for a humanitarian approach in dealing with victims.
Officials from the prosecution department and International Justice Mission also attended the workshop.