Supreme Court Expresses Deep Concern Over Child Trafficking, Calls for Action

Answer: B

Statement 1 is correct. Article 23(1) explicitly prohibits traffic in human beings and forced labour. Statement 2 is correct. ITPA, 1956, is the primary legislation for preventing commercial sexual exploitation. Statement 3 is incorrect. While POCSO Act, 2012, is a comprehensive law to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation, it primarily focuses on sexual offences. Other forms of exploitation like forced labour and organ trafficking are covered by other specific laws (e.g., Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, ITPA, and general criminal laws), though POCSO can apply if sexual exploitation is involved. It does not cover 'all forms' of child exploitation comprehensively in its primary scope.

Answer: D

Statement A is correct. The Ujjawala Scheme (Ministry of Women and Child Development) is specifically designed for the prevention of trafficking and for rescue, rehabilitation, reintegration, and repatriation of victims of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation. Statement B is correct. ICPS (now Mission Vatsalya) is a centrally sponsored scheme that provides a safety net for children in difficult circumstances, including victims of trafficking, through various services and institutions. Statement C is correct. India ratified the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol) in 2011. Statement D is incorrect. While NCPCR is a statutory body mandated to protect child rights and can inquire into violations, it is not the 'nodal agency for investigating individual cases of child trafficking across all states'. Investigation of criminal cases, including trafficking, primarily falls under the purview of state police forces and specialized Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) within the police, with central agencies like CBI also involved in inter-state or international cases. NCPCR's role is more supervisory, monitoring, and recommending.

Answer: D

All four listed types are recognized forms of child trafficking and exploitation under both international instruments like the Palermo Protocol and various Indian laws. The Palermo Protocol defines trafficking in persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation includes, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. Forced marriage, especially of minors, is also widely recognized as a form of exploitation and trafficking, often involving elements of forced labour or sexual exploitation.

Answer: C

The Supreme Court's observation specifically 'underscored the importance of ensuring that victims are not re-trafficked and that their rehabilitation is prioritized.' This directly points to the high risk of re-trafficking as a primary challenge. While options A, B, and D are indeed significant challenges in combating trafficking, the news article explicitly mentions the concern about re-trafficking and the need for prioritized rehabilitation, making C the 'best' description of the primary challenge implicitly highlighted by the court's statement.