Representatives of various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) said that the conviction rate in human trafficking cases was only 8 per cent in Andhra Pradesh, and many of the accused were acquitted and moving freely.
“Due to negligence on trafficking cases and lack of monitoring and support to the victims, the accused in many cases were acquitted,” said HELP secretary N. Ram Mohan.
V. Ramakrishna, project director of RHEDS, an NGO, said that as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data 1,396 cases were registered on human trafficking and 2,119 victims were rescued from 2016 to 2022. Anusha from Vimukthi, another NGO, said that as per NCRB data, 771 victims were rescued in 594 cases booked under Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, during the same period.
“As per the study conducted by the NGOs, Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs), which are authorised to book and arrest the accused in trafficking cases, have not registered even a single case in the State in the last three years,” Mr. Ram Mohan told The Hindu on Tuesday.
“Traffickers were luring poor women on the pretext of providing jobs and offering loans through various social media platforms and pushing them into flesh trade,” said Sujatha, manager of NGO GUIDE.
HELP project manager V. Bhaskar appealed to the investigation agencies to keep a tab on social media groups, track the movements of traffickers arrested and mediators in the trafficking cases.
“Officers attached to AHTUs should be given more teeth, impart training to the investigation officers from time to time, conduct coordination meetings among the line departments and focus on victim support to increase conviction rate in trafficking cases,” said Vimukthi member Munna.
Published – July 29, 2025 08:40 pm IST
