Jharkhand Judicial Academy Organizes State Level Conference On Crimes Against Women, Human Trafficking

The Judicial Academy, Jharkhand, on Sunday organized a State Level Conference on 'Crime Against Women and Human Trafficking'. Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra, who was Chief Guest at the conference, attended the gathering virtually.

Other judges of the high court, Principal Secretaries, senior bureaucrats of State, judicial officers, senior police officers, members of NGOs, Trainee Assistant Public Prosecutors, and law students from NUSRL and Chotanagpur Law College, Ranchi, also attended the event.

Divided into three technical sessions, the conference delved into various dimensions of crimes against women and human trafficking, the existing laws and policies surrounding these issues, and the roles of different stakeholders in preventing, handling, and rehabilitating victims.

The conference commenced with a welcome address delivered by Justice S. N. Prasad, who emphasized that women are not just mothers, daughters, sisters, but are the real architects of society and that the judiciary must take tough measures to protect them and gain the trust of the citizens.

The Keynote Address was delivered by Chief Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra. Justice Mishra called the crimes against women and human trafficking an "acquired form of monster in society." He added that on one hand we pray to Matri-shakti, while on the other hand, we see violence against women.

“There is a need of change in attitude towards women at home and at workplaces as well, because women are more capable than men as they are more competent at multitasking,” the Chief Justice said.

While concluding, Justice Mishra sensitized the judges and other stakeholders by emphasizing, “victims of violence and trafficking shall not be subjected to any further trauma. The Police departments, judiciary and correctional homes need to be sensitive, and show empathy while dealing with such cases as it will act as a catalyst in achieving equality among all genders, which will aid us to achieve the constitutional vision of equality.”

The first technical session was led by Justice Sonia G Gokani, former chief Justice of Gujarat High Court, discussing "Violence Against Women: Addressing Attitudinal Changes in the Present Scenario." She said that not just social norms and beliefs, but even corruption is a key reason that contributes to continuous violence against women. She also raised concern about gender disparities in cases of consensual relationships under the POCSO Act, urging Parliament to address the issue with appropriate legislation.

Advocate Vrinda Grover conducted the second session on "Changing Perspective of Law with Respect to Crime Against Women and Remedial Measures." She emphasized “violence is always an exercise of power. It is a differential power.”

“I don’t think we learn equality at home. We learn respect but not equality, and [it doesn't] come to us naturally. The law needs to step in and put that benchmark,” she added.

She advocated for a sentencing guideline for judicial officers, expressing her belief that harsh punishments without judicial discretion may not be the most effective deterrent, and concluded by saying, “Impunity can never bring justice. It is the worst enemy of women. Women need rule of law.”

The third session was conducted by P.M. Nair, IPS (Retd.), addressing the topic "Dimensions of Human Trafficking; Good Practices, Challenges, and Role of Law Enforcement Agencies." Nair praised Jharkhand Police and Judiciary for their efforts in reducing human trafficking cases in the year 2021 with just 92 cases. He highlighted some cases of human trafficking which not only involved female victims, but male victims too, and the recent trends of rescuing victims through connections with officials. Nair emphasized that fighting human trafficking is a constitutional obligation for everyone from their respective positions.

Justice Anubha Rawat Choudhary proposed the Vote of Thanks and thanked all stakeholders for their participation, acknowledging the ongoing issues of witchcraft and human trafficking faced by the judiciary in Jharkhand.