Stronger Laws but Justice Awaits: Chennai Meet Urges Time-Bound Action Against Child Trafficking

The glaring gap between rescue and prosecution is a major hurdle in effectively tackling crimes against children, and often child victims fall through these gaps and are gripped by child labour, trafficking, marriage and abuse. This discussion took centre stage at the State Level Consultation on ‘Human Trafficking in India: Strengthening Convergence and Prevention Mechanisms’, held in Chennai . The consultation, organized by Just Rights for Children in collaboration with Department of Children Welfare and Special Services, brought together key stakeholders to address the urgent need for stronger convergence, accountability, and prevention strategies in combating child trafficking and other crimes against children.  

Just Rights for Children is the country’s largest network of over 250 NGOs working in 418 districts across the country. The JRC network alone rescued 56,242 trafficked children between 1st April 2024 and 30th April 2025 and initiated over 38,353 legal actions against perpetrators in the country. In Tamil Nadu, 7 partner NGOs of the network work in 5 districts for child protection and child rights and rescued over 3,500 children from child labour, trafficking, and child marriage since 2023. Formal action was initiated in about 500 cases. 

Emphasising that every small step towards combating child trafficking is huge in saving children, S. Santhana Kumar, Senior Civil Judge and Deputy Secretary, Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TN SLSA) said, “Every small reduction in trafficking is a big win. Even a 10 percent  drop means lives saved. With collaboration from law enforcement, railways, schools, and NGOs, we can create real change—starting from awareness in classrooms to vigilance at railway stations.” 

Meanwhile, Dr. M. Casimir Raj, Member, Tamil Nadu State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), said, “Child trafficking is a crisis of many crimes—a chain, a basket of abuse. Our role at SCPCR is not only to protect but also to study gaps and strengthen child rights through awareness, research, and policy monitoring. Every child is everyone’s responsibility.” 

Echoing similar thoughts, M. Ragavendran, Assistant Security Commissioner, Southern Railway, Chennai, said, “At railway stations, we see its traces every day. Parents, communities, and institutions must become the first line of defense. Laws exist but they mean nothing if they’re not understood and implemented. With strong cooperation between departments and public awareness, we can make Tamil Nadu a model state in ending trafficking.” 

Other officials who were present included Dr. G. Vanitha, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Against Women and Children; and representatives from Department of Children Welfare and Special Services, State Labour Department along with JRC NGO partners in the day-long consultation aligned with the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. 

“India today has a robust legal framework to tackle various forms of human trafficking. However, the real challenge lies in the lack of coordination among stakeholders, inadequate rehabilitation mechanisms, poor conviction rates, and fragmented implementation. The prosecution and conviction processes are painfully slow, often resulting in delayed justice and the revictimisation of survivors. If we are to make our strong laws truly effective on the ground, especially in combating child trafficking, prioritising timely prosecution is absolute,” said Rajeev Bharadwaj, National Coordinator, NGO Partnership, Just Rights for Children.  

During the consultation, the officials reviewed the current legal and policy framework related to human trafficking in India, called for convergence between law enforcement agencies, judiciary, government departments, and civil society for bridging the gaps in enforcement, victim support, and inter-agency coordination; and advocated for a time-bound action plan towards elimination of child trafficking. Notably, human trafficking remains the third largest crime in the world after drug trafficking and arms smuggling, and with children being vulnerable and without agency or voice are often trapped by the traffickers and lured into various kinds of exploitative businesses.