State department report : ‘Militants forcing parents into giving children away’

LAHORE:

A report released by the US State department has criticised the government of Pakistan for making less progress in combating human trafficking than in the previous year.

The 2011 Trafficking in Persons report placed Pakistan in the Tier 2 category.  It explained that countries included in this category were those “whose governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s minimum standards” but are making substantial efforts to comply with those standards.

According to the report, Pakistan is a destination for men, women, and children from Afghanistan, Iran, and, to a lesser extent, Bangladesh, who are subjected to forced labour and prostitution.

The report stated that non-state militant groups were kidnapping children or forcing parents with false promises into giving children as young as 12 away.

It also said that these children would subsequently be used to spy, fight, or die as suicide bombers in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The data collected by the department shows that the government of Pakistan reported 310 offenders that were convicted under the Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance (PACHTO) – 75 less than last year. It goes on to state that the majority of the cases resulted in penalties far less than PACHTO’s prescribed minimum.

The information shared in the report focuses on sex trafficking data as well, stating that under various sections in the penal code, the government prosecuted at least 68 traffickers in 2010 – six for sex trafficking and 38 for labour trafficking, and 24 for either labour or sex trafficking.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ASAD KHARAL

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2011.