The Menace of Human Trafficking – Pakistan’s Response to the Problem?

Mashhood Ahmad Mirza

Abstract
Human Trafficking, whilst not a new phenomenon, remains a heinous activity as women and children are the most vulnerable members of society, yet it is exactly this vulnerability that makes trafficking possible in the first instance. Trafficking in human beings is a covert, multi-faceted and organised criminal activity making it extremely difficult to detect and prevent, particularly in light of its cross-border nature, whilst victims are themselves often difficult to be recognised. This makes trafficking in human beings such a complex activity to approach. There are legislative provisions and international conventions in place to protect trafficked persons but many responses are perhaps too little, too late. This paper, therefore, considers measures that have been put in place by the Pakistan Government to protect trafficked persons.

Keywords: Human Trafficking, Human Smuggling, Slavery, Palermo Protocol, Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance (PACHTO), Domestic Servitude, Sexual Exploitation,
Debt Bondage and Forced Labour