VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh would establish Cyber Crime Stations at every district headquarters to contain and combat cyber-crimes.
Home minister Vangalapudi Anita stated thiw while inaugurating a meeting as part of the central government’s initiative, the National Consultation on Countering Cyber-Enabled Human Trafficking (CEHT), here on Thursday.
This, she said, is a significant step towards developing a comprehensive national plan of action to combat cyber crime. She and state minister for women and child welfare Gummadi Sandhya Rani released the ‘national action research report’ on cyber-enabled human trafficking.
The report was done by noted NGO, Prajwala, with support from the US Consulate in Hyderabad. It provides some startling findings on how cyber technology is enabling all forms of human trafficking. These include trafficking for online criminality, recruitment to war zones and rampant child trafficking for sexually abusive purposes.
Also present were DGP Tirumala Rao, state IT secretary Saurabh Gaur, US consul general Jennifer Larson, founder of Prajwala Sunitha Krishnan and secretary to women and child welfare Surya Kumari.
The two-day event brings together representatives from 27 states including senior police officers, public prosecutors, directors of judicial academies, women and child welfare officers and civil society members. They would finalise a draft that will serve as a roadmap for states to implement measures against cyber-enabled human trafficking.
The meeting’s recommendations will be sent to the central government for its adoption.
The home minister said AP has become the first state to bring out a state plan and contribute to building a safer state and safer world. “We appreciate the support of the US Consulate of Hyderabad in this mission.”
Minister Rani said, "The collective effort seen here today has provided us with a pathway to tackle this growing crime."
Jennifer Larson said, "This consultation is a landmark event that underscores our collective commitment to eradicating cyber-enabled human trafficking. By working together, we can develop robust strategies to protect vulnerable communities and hold those committing CEHT accountable."
Sunitha Krishnan said, "As this new-age crime is spreading at an epidemic proportion, the time to act is now.”
