Enlist translators to help crack down trafficking cases: MHA to Haryana govt

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has written to the Haryana police to enlist translators who will assist police in tracking down missing and trafficked children from other states, especially from tribal areas of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

This initiative has been taken as a part of the second phase of their ‘Operation Smile’. The letter from MHA stated that the police must ensure “proper provision and availability of food, clothes, medical aid, professional translators, psychiatrists and shelter homes must be ensured well before the rescue operation.”

Rishikant Singh, a member of an NGO which helps rescue trafficked girls, said: “Not just police, but NGO activists also face a lot of problems in rescue operations, as the children speak in their regional language or dialect. With translators present, it will make communication a lot easier”.

Under the campaign, police will raid and visit shelter homes, railway stations, bus stands, religious sites and tea stalls, and will verify the identities of children and beggars found there. If a child is found to be less than 14 years of age, a case of child labour will be registered against the employer.

“A special juvenile protection unit (SJPU) will be appointed in each police station to work for the campaign. The unit members will seek details about the children’s family and their home addresses. The children will be counselled by officials and volunteers of the child welfare committee,” said ACP Hawa Singh.