Combating Human Trafficking

 

 Combating Human Trafficking[1]

 Mr. Govind Prasad Thapa, DIG

 Human trafficking is a growing menace. This sickening industry is flourishing. On one hand, it has to be dealt with wider and stern laws and, effective enforcement while at the same time, we have to protect the rights of victims and support their rehabilitation. It all requires wide vision, closer understanding, cooperation, coordination and honest commitment of the nations concerned. It also requires the concerted efforts of many agencies and individuals. As the problem is international, we need international measures to deal with it.

 There are several issues, regarding this crime, which require clarity. Among them, the definitions of the term trafficking, prostitution, migration, and repatriation need a clear perspective.

 It is said that the definition of trafficking is not universal today. There is no unanimity on it. There is a need for identifying the characteristics of the word  ‘trafficking’ and universally defined it. Previously trafficking was more or less concerned with prostitution in women and children only. But these days trafficking has been for various other reasons too. Prostitution may be one of them. It is, also, not limited to women and children only. The current definition of trafficking usually includes the non-consensus movement of people within or across borders for the purpose of exploitation of labor.

 The economic, social, and cultural factors seem to have compelled people to migrate for better livelihoods and better conditions across borders. The poor education and lack of awareness among most women and children have made them dependent on brokers and their relatives. These brokers often abuse and exploit them at the origin, transit, and destination point in the name of assistance. It only worsens the situation. On one hand, there is demand for the right to free movement in search of better economic activities, and on the other, there is every possibility of abuse and exploitation.

 The migration may take place with the full consent of affected persons. Then the ‘consent’ becomes a very important and deciding factor in such a situation. We have to be very cautious while investigating such cases. We should be able to distinguish ‘voluntary migration’ from ‘trafficking’. But again it is a very difficult part. The affected person may have gone with full consent to work in a foreign country but not to work in slavery-like conditions. Therefore the consent could be out of intimidation, coercion, fraud, and out of the influence of power or authority. We have to be very much sure while investigating cases of such nature. We must be particularly concerned whether the consent was voluntary or otherwise.

 It is rather difficult to find out the mens rea and actus reus elements while conducting investigations of such crimes. Many cases have failed in the courts because of the absence or lack of evidence against the suspect. A minor, who is taken to a destination (with or without consent) to work, may not produce anything of evidential value to substantiate the investigation. In such a situation the prosecution may not be ascertained. Very often, suspects go scot-free in circumstances of absence or lack of evidence.

 Another issue, which is directly related to trafficking, is the right to choose a profession. There has been growing demand for the freedom to choose one’s profession. Which, if we concede, would allow choosing prostitution as one’s profession. We ought to be very much clear about prostitution. We must have a clear perspective on whether it is a problem of morality, labor, human rights, migration, public law, and order, or crime. There is confusion and very often the views of non-governmental organizations and States differ. Once we are clear about it then we can be in a position to treat it accordingly.

 There is also a demand for the right to migration for livelihood. The demand calls for the complete withdrawal of restriction and intervention. But, at the same time, the right to protection from slavery-like practices must be respected and addressed. Then, first of all, the modality to punish offenders in an extraterritorial jurisdiction, without challenging the rights of an affected person needs to be developed.  The countries of origin, transit, and destination have to agree upon a suitable modality bilaterally or multilaterally.

 The issue of repatriation or return of affected persons to their origin states is equally complex. There is an appeal that the repatriation of affected persons should be done on the basis of the voluntary consent of the affected person; that the affected person should be provided with all rights to legal matters, assistance, restitution, and compensation. There is equally great pressure upon States that affected person’s concerns should get preference to legal matters. So there is a need for a clear national and international perspective on these issues too.

 There has been strong criticism against the existing criminal justice system. Today, our criminal justice system is considered ineffective to deliver justice to many victims. The system is being criticized for being too autocratic and formal, expensive, unfair, slow, and humiliating.  There is a demand for a new paradigm of victim protection to be part of jurisprudence and judicial process. There are several agencies associated with the system but their efforts are not coordinated. The criminal justice system should be made more accessible and less intimidating for people who are victims of crimes. Police, as well as other law enforcement agencies, need to develop a more positive, sympathetic attitude towards them.

 It is said that the crux of the problem of trafficking is the appalling poverty in the villages followed by the lack of education and awareness. Most of those girls, who were sold, did not know what kind of life they would lead in the new destinations. Policing and administrative matters may help but ultimately the key to solving the problem lies in alleviating poverty and generating employment opportunities. There is also a need for improving our familial, social, and cultural beliefs, rites, and customs.

 Considering all these push and pull factors in trafficking, a short-sighted strategy is never going to help control this crime. A clinical, rather than symptomatic, approach will have to be given preference. For that reason, we need to be more organized, systematic, committed, concerted, and coordinated in our thoughts and actions.

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[1] Workshop on Trafficking in Women and Children in South Asia, Aswin 1, 2056, Kathmandu, Nepal

 

The myths about Community Policing

On 26 May 2014, I attended an interaction program on community policing with the senior police officers at the national police academy. Community policing is based on the philosophy of cooperation and partnership. The community's interest with the police is safety and security from crimes and violence. The police's interest is to solve crime problems in society. The police cannot do this job all alone. They have to seek cooperation from community members. For this purpose, they seek help from community members. In a way, they work in partnership with the community for the desired goal. The police may use two tactics in this process: establish permanent units in the community or work with the community as and when required. In other words, they work in partnership with the community to solve a specific security or crime problem and when it is achieved, they withdraw.
There are some myths associated with community policing. These are:
-community policing solves all problems
-community policing is different police from the regular police force
-community policing is soft policing or lenient to crime and criminals
No, unfortunately all the above myths are not true. The community policing is only the strategy of the police force to solve specific crime or law and order problems.
Who funds this program? As this is a police duty to protect the community from crime and violence, it becomes the duty of government to fund the activities of all community police.
Who owns this program? The community, the whole police force, and the government must own this policing style. It should be mentioned in the law and policies of the government and police in particular.
What could be the best way to foster such policing style? The recruitment of local people for policing in their localities will be the best way to enhance this strategy. In other words, the police should be made accountable to local communities or local bodies, like village development committee and municipality.

सामुदायिक प्रहरी सेवा र संचालन प्रकृया

श्रीमान प्रहरी महानिरीक्षकज्यू,
प्रहरी प्रधान कार्यालय,
काठमाण्डौ, नेपाल ।

विषयः सामुदायिक प्रहरी सेवा र संचालन प्रकृया बारे ।

प्रहरी प्रधान कार्यालयको प्र.।१।६०।०५३।०५४ च.नं. ३९६ मिति २०५३।११।२०।२को पत्रको सम्बन्धमा निम्न लिखित कुराहरु खुलाई जाहेर गर्दछु ।

समाजमा आपराधको नियण्त्रण गर्ने कार्य प्रहरीको मात्र नभई प्रत्येक नागरिकको पनि हुन्छ । अपराध रहित समाजको श्रृजना गर्नका लागि प्रहरी प्रशासनलाई बढाी भन्दा बढी र निकटतम जनसमर्थन र जन विश्वासको खाँचो पर्ने हुन्छ । तसर्थ प्रहरी कदापि समुदायबाट टाडा र पृथक भएर शान्ति सुरक्षा कायम गर्न तथा अपराधको नियन्त्रण र अनुसन्धान गर्न सक्दैन भन्नु अतिशयोत्ती नहोला ।

नेपाल प्रहरीको कार्यशैलीलाई विश्लेषण गरेर हेर्ने हो भने यो संगठन सदैव जनताको नजिकमा नै वसेर उनीहरुको समर्थन जुटाउने प्रयास गरिरहेको थियो र त्यो प्रकृया आज पनि यथावत नै छ । जनतावाट जनश्रमदान र आर्थिक तथा भौतिक श्रोतको रुपमा नेपाल प्रहरीलाई यथेष्ट सहयोग प्राप्त भएका छन् । यसरी हेर्नेहो भने नेपाल प्रहरीले आफुलाई जनता देखी कहिलै टाडा राख्न खोजेन । सधैं सहयोग खोजीनै रहेको छ । प्राप्त गरी रहेको पनि छ ।

यस्तो हुँदाहुदै पनि आजको स्थितिलाई मैले निन्म लिखित रुपमा मुल्याँकन गरेको छु ।

क. नेपाल प्रहरीले सधैं जनविश्वास, जन सहयोग र जन समर्थनको लागि आवहान गरेको छ तर आफैले जनतालाई विश्वास दिलाउने, जनतालाई सहयोग गर्ने र जनतालाई आवश्यक परेको बेला समर्थन गर्र्ने गरेको थोरै मात्र पाइएको छ ।

ख. जनतालाई शान्ति सुरक्षा तथा अपराध नियन्त्रण र अनुसन्धानमा सहयोगीको रुपमा मात्र लिइएको छ । उनीहरुलाई यस प्रति उत्तरदायी वनाउन सकिएको छैन । उनीहरुलाई आफ्नो गाउं घरको शान्ति सुरक्षा, अपराध नियन्त्रण र अनुसन्धानमा निर्णायक भूमिका खेल्ने अवसर प्रदान गरिएको छैन । जे जति निर्णय लिइन्छ जनताको स्वीकृति विना नै लिने गरीन्छ । जसबाट जनता उक्त निर्णयहरुको फको भागीदार आफुलाई ठान्दैनन् र प्र्रहरी शैली पारदर्शि छैन भनेर भन्ने गरीन्छ ।

ग. प्रहरी कार्यका लागि स्थानीय समुदायको सदस्यवाट छनौट गरी सोही समुदायमा शान्ति सुरक्षा कायम राख्न वा अपराध नियन्त्रण र अनुसन्धान गर्ने जिम्मा दिइएको छैन । त्यसो हुंदा आफ्नो गाउंघर, आफ्नो समुदाय भन्दा वेग्लै र नजिकको भन्दा धेरै टाढा टाढावाट आएका व्यक्तिहरुले ( प्रहरीहरुले ) उनीहरु माथी शासन वा हैकमी चलाएको अनुभव गरेका छन् ।

घ. समुदाय प्रति आजको प्रहरीलाई उत्तरदायी वनाईएको छैन । परिणाम स्वरुप समुदायको आवश्यकता र चाहना भन्दा वेग्लै प्रकारको प्रहरी व्यवस्था, आचरण र व्यवहार पाउंदा प्रहरीलाई नै आफ्नो प्रमुख वाधक वा प्रतिपक्षको रुपमा हेरेका छन् । यसो हुंदा प्रहरी आफ्नो कर्तव्य निर्वाह गर्न कतिपय अवस्थाहरुमा असमर्थ भएको छ ।

ङ. समुदाय भित्र घट्ने सानातिना भैm–झगडा, लेनदेनको विषयमा पनि स्थानीय जनतालाई स्वविवेक प्रयोग गरी न्याय दिने प्रकृयालाई वलियो पार्न सकिएको छैन । फलतः साना–साना कुराहरुमा पनि न्याय पाउनका लागि अड्डा अदालत धाउने प्रचलन बढेको छ । यसवाट स्थानीय जनता कुण्ठित मात्र नभई शोषित पनि भएका छन् ।

सुुझावहरु ः

उपरोक्त स्थितिलाई विहंगम दृष्टि दिनेहो भने नेपाल प्रहरीले आफनो उत्तरदायित्वलाई निर्वाह गर्नकालागी समुदाय संग सरोकार राख्दा निम्न लिखित कार्य गर्नुपर्ने देखेको छु ।

१. सामुदायिक प्रहरी सेवालाई वेग्लै प्रहरी संरचनाको रुपमा नलिएर प्रहरी सेवाको एउटा शैलीको रुपमा लिनु पर्छ ।

२. समुदाय तथा स्थानीय निकायमा अपराध नियन्त्रण, अनुसन्धान तथा शान्ति सुरक्षा कायम राख्ने विषयमा छलफल र कार्यगत नितीका लागी स्थानीय जनतालाई सहभागी बनाउनु पर्दछ ।

३. गाउँघर, शहर, समुदायहरुमा शान्ति सुरक्षा कायम गर्ने तथा अपराधको नियन्त्रण र अनुसन्धान गर्नका लागि स्थानीय जनतालाई निर्णय प्रकृयामा सहभागी बनाउनुपर्दछ ।

४. प्रहरी भर्ना गर्दा स्थानीय जनता, समुदाय विशेषवाट भर्ना गरी उनीहरुलाई सोही समुदाय वा स्थान विशेषमा काम लगाउनु पर्दछ ।

५. स्थानीय प्रहरीलाई जन उत्तरदायि बनाउन केही हद सम्म स्थानीय निकाय वा समुदाय प्रति उत्तरदायी बनाउनु पर्दछ ।

६. सानातिना झै–झगडा तथा आपसी लेनदेन वा स्थानीय समस्याको समाधान तर्फ स्थानीय जनतालाई सहभागी बनाई निर्णय लिने प्रकृयाको विकास गरिनु पर्दछ । यसका लागि विकेन्द्रिकरण तथा अधिकार प्रत्यायोजनको सिद्धान्त अवलम्वन गरिनुु पर्दछ ।

७. नेपाल अधिराज्यभरी यस अवधारणा अनुरुप प्रहरी शैलीको प्रयोग गरीनु पर्दछ । यसका लागि परीक्षणको रुपमा प्ररम्भमा केही स्थान विशेषमा लागुगरी अध्ययन गरीनु पर्दछ ।

सदा आज्ञाकारी
गोविन्द प्रसाद थापा
प्रहरी वरीष्ठ उपरीक्षक
राष्ट्रिय प्रहरी प्रशिक्षण प्रतिष्ठान