The acquittal rate in human trafficking cases in the country was to the tune of 89% in 2020-2021, which is a matter of concern, Madan B. Lokur, former Supreme Court judge, has said.
Of the 201 cases reported in Kerala last year, there was only one conviction and 19 acquittals, Mr. Lokur said while delivering a special address at the one-day judicial colloquium on anti-human trafficking, organised by the Kerala Judicial Academy here on Sunday.
Listing a few real-life incidents that came up before him, Mr. Lokur said the police often wrongly reported a large number of human trafficking cases as kidnapping, abduction and missing persons cases. Nobody wants to admit that there are cases of human trafficking. Yet, it exists in different forms in the country. It is also prevalent in the cyberworld. Forced marriages, child marriages, bonded labour, and forced migration for economic causes are also instances of human trafficking, he said.
