Identification and notification
Approaching the anti-trafficking unit and informing the District administration as soon as trafficking is suspected.
Rescue · Repatriation
Anti-Trafficking
Identifying trafficking, notifying the anti-trafficking unit and district administration, and pursuing rescue, release orders and repatriation.
Context
Why this work exists.
Where trafficking is identified we approach the anti-trafficking unit and inform the district administration. Rescues are conducted jointly with police and partner organisations — a woman and a minor girl working as bonded labourers in a house in New Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh were rescued by the National Campaign Committee for the Eradication of Bonded Labour, Women Welfare Society Delhi and Delhi Police.
Trafficking cases rarely end at the rescue. Release orders, recorded statements, repatriation and compensation each require separate follow-up, and it is common for a survivor to be repatriated long before any compensation reaches them.
How we work
What the programme actually does.
Joint rescue
Rescue operations conducted with police and partner organisations, including the NCCEBL network.
Legal escalation
Where the administration does not act, escalation to the High Court — including by Habeas Corpus petition.
Repatriation and follow-up
Release orders, recorded statements, return to the home district, and pursuit of compensation and earned wages afterwards.
Case studies
What this looks like in practice.
Documented cases, with the dates and outcomes as recorded.
Trafficked domestic worker, Patel Nagar
Patel Nagar, Delhi — trafficked from Jharkhand
A 24-year-old woman was trafficked from Jharkhand to Patel Nagar, Delhi by an agent named Sanjay, where she was held in a house against her wishes and forced to do domestic work without any wages, facing severe restrictions on her movement.
After her father’s death when she was twelve she was forced to leave school. She subsequently worked as domestic help in Delhi, Gujarat and Rajasthan at varying wages before being trafficked into this situation.
- 6 May 2024Mehnatkash filed a complaint with the authorities.
- 14–20 May 2024Continued follow-ups after receiving no initial response.
- 21 May 2024A rescue team was finally formed.
- 22 May 2024Investigation occurred, but the survivor had been moved.
- 31 May 2024A Habeas Corpus petition was filed in the Delhi High Court.
- 3 June 2024The Delhi High Court issued orders; the survivor was rescued from Sakurpur.
- 22 June 2024Her statement was recorded and a Release Order issued.
StatusThe survivor was repatriated to Jharkhand on 22 June 2024. She is still waiting for her compensation, earned wages and rehabilitation.
Outcomes
What a closed case looks like.
- Rescue coordinated with the anti-trafficking unit, district administration and police
- Release order and recorded statement secured
- Repatriation to the survivor’s home state
Questions
Frequently asked.
What happens when trafficking is reported?+
We approach the anti-trafficking unit and inform the district administration. Where the administration does not act, we escalate — in one 2024 case a Habeas Corpus petition in the Delhi High Court was required before the survivor was located and rescued.
Related
Other areas of our work.
Bonded Labour
Identification, case registration, rescue and statutory rehabilitation of workers held in debt bondage — a practice outlawed in India since 1976.
Read moreWorker’s Housing Rights
Advocacy and rehabilitation for unorganised-sector workers, migrant labourers, bonded labourers, trafficking survivors and homeless destitute labourers denied adequate housing.
Read moreGig Workers
Mobilisation, advocacy, capacity building and legal aid for platform-based workers left in regulatory limbo by India’s labour codes.
Read moreBring us a case, or fund the next one.
Reports can be anonymous. Every case above began with someone deciding to speak.