About Human smuggling warrants parliamentary discussion:
1. Emergence of the Human Smuggling Crisis
- A planeload of deported Indians coming back from the United States in chains and humiliation
- Illegal immigrants in Iraq left behind to clear the ammunition fields and came to the rescue only by emergency intervention
- Irregular migrations are rife, with an entire generation of prospective young Indians wildly lured by false promises of prosperity.
2. The Syndicate Behind Human Smuggling
- Human smuggling, or kabootarbazi, is big business and is a free-for-all.
- Thrives in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, J&K, Kerala, and Gujarat
- A crime that does not require skills, investments, and is free from any fear of law.
3. The Horror and Misery of Illegal Migration
- Migrants are exploited, starved, and abused by smugglers.
- Many die from suffocation, drowning, or forced labor in slave camps.
- Those who survive recount horrific accounts of sitting in filth and squalor, denied food and water, and witnessing fellow migrants dying.
- Human smuggling networks promote corruption, organized crime, and global mafias.
4. The Legal Loophole and the Demand for Reform
- The Emigration Act does not contain any definitions of human smuggling nor address its dangers since 1983.
- Some strong national legislation needs to be enacted to curb the menace that has witnessed exponential growth.
- The Emigration (Overseas Mobility Facilitation and Welfare) Bill is still pending.
- The state laws that exist cannot go beyond their states.
5. Punjab’s Efforts and Challenges
- The Punjab Travel Professionals Regulation Act, 2012:
- Regulates travel agents of Punjab to curb human smuggling.
- Defines terms “travel agents” and “human smuggling,” including misleading practices.
- Imposes punishments on agents enriching themselves at the expense of migrants.
- Weak enforcement: The law is there in the books but not in implementation.
6. Need for Parliamentary Attention
- Human smuggling should be declared a very serious national issue.
- The Parliament must create a central law that will:
- Ensure control over borders and migration proceedings.
- Criminalize human smuggling and break up global mafia networks.
- Protect Indian nationals from being exploited abroad.
- Parliamentarians must move urgently to protect Indian lives from this organized crime syndicate.
