India intensifies drive against human trafficking: Minister

October 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - According to a report of the National Commission for Women, (NCW) at least half of the 612 districts in the country are affected by trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation. The NCW report says that in 378 districts, there are 1,794 identified places of origin from where females are trafficked and 1,016 areas where commercial sexual activities take place.

September 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - With growing incidence of poor and vulnerable women from India being lured into the flesh trade, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has constituted teams to investigate trafficking channels from various districts in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi to the Middle East. "The NCW has been been deeply disturbed with the recent spurt of missing girls in NCR (National Capital Region).

September 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - As Delhi prepares to host the Commonwealth Games next year, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) will highlight the human trafficking problem plaguing India and its eastern neighbours by launching an awareness drive. With the Games coming up, we have an opportunity to spotlight the human traficking problem that is on a rise.

September 19th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Four Nepali women, three of whom were being trafficked to Muscat, have been arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district, officials said here Sunday. One of the four women was part of a human trafficking gang and she was taking the other three to Muscat.

September 14th, 2009 Clinton urges crackdown on human traffickingVIENNA — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warns that human trafficking is flourishing in the shadows of the global economic downturn.

August 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Natural disasters like the 2008 floods in India leave children vulnerable to trafficking and many girls end up being "sold as brides", says a new report by a global child rights group. "Post-disaster, human trafficking has become common in the region (South Asia) as increasing manmade conflicts and natural disasters leave the already poor even more vulnerable," says the study by global child rights group ECPAT International, supported by the Body Shop International.

July 31st, 2009 PATNA - The Bihar government Friday admitted that there has been a marked increase in the number of women and children being smuggled from the state since the launch of its Human Trafficking Prevention Programme in 2007. Bihar Water Resources Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav told IANS that over 50 cases of human trafficking had been registered till July this year.

July 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India does not attach "too much attention" to a US report saying it is not doing enough to curb human smuggling but should do "what is expected of us as an enlightened nation", Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Wednesday.

June 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Police for investigating human trafficking in India was launched by Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken today. Speaking on the occasion, Maken said that India follows a policy of "Zero Tolerance" against human trafficking in the women and children for sexual exploitation and has adequate Constitutional safeguards and legislation against the crime of human trafficking.

June 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Union Cabinet today gave its approval to sign the agreement on security cooperation between India and United Arab Emirates. The agreement, once signed, will establish an institutional framework for cooperation between India and UAE in their fight against terrorism in all its forms.

June 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Saying that New Delhi is not doing enough to curb human smuggling, the US has placed India on Tier 2 watch list of countries in a report on global trafficking released by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation," said the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report released by Clinton Tuesday.

June 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US has placed India on tier 2 watch list of countries in a report on human trafficking, saying New Delhi is not doing enough to address the issue. "India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation," said the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report released by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Tuesday.

June 11th, 2009 Officials want more pressure on human traffickingWASHINGTON — The Obama administration and Sen. Chuck Schumer want to step up pressure on human-trafficking operations by taking away their safe houses.

May 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Sex tourism has emerged as an alarming trend in India in recent years, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Ashwini Kumar said here Monday. Kumar was speaking at a seminar on Organised Crime and Human Trafficking at Vigyan Bhawan here.

May 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Sex tourism and human trafficking have emerged as alarming trends in recent years, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Ashwini Kumar said here Monday. Kumar was speaking at a seminar on Organised Crime and Human Trafficking at Vigyan Bhawan here.