Human Trafficking And Pakistan – OpEd
Pakistan is experiencing a fight against human trafficking. The government has also launched a National Action Plan in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and this has been aimed at breaking the networks that exploit the human vulnerability.
The fruits are already being realized: Besides increased rescues, increased prosecutions, and greater exposure of a crime that previously enjoyed the benefits of operating in the shadows. The recovery of dozens of victims on their way to the Gulf in February 2025, an operation along the Iran border, is an example that eloquently demonstrates how porous borders can be used to exploit people.
The recent actions of the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif have provided the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) with better power to crackdown on them and the introduction of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) have helped to bring victim support services and rehabilitation work together. The above measures are worth considering because this translates to the fact that the high time is over and reactive policing needs to be replaced with organised protection.
Nevertheless, the scope of the problem is too large. The Pakistani legal framework, founded on the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act of 2018, has reached its maturity age, and the absence of accountability is not defined yet because of the duplication of the laws and their inconsistent application. Other regions particularly in the west and south lack the organizational capacity to detect the victims or suitable criminals. These laws may be simplified and a standard operating procedure across provinces may provide an improved line against trafficking.
The rehabilitation of victims should also be strengthened in an urgent manner. The counselling centres and shelters are often understaffed and overworked especially in the country. The victim-centred approach would indeed be victim-centred which means that long-term funding of the safe houses, trauma care and reintegration programs would be applied. It is not only that the survivors require rescue but that they need to feel revived, dignified and provided an opportunity to reorganise their lives. This is what makes the difference between the temporary change and the permanent intervention.
The global partnership is also among the pillars of the anti-trafficking strategy of Pakistan. The working relations with the Gulf countries, Iran, and Afghanistan have improved the information sharing, and the law enforcement training conducted by the UN has led to the growth in the number of convictions. These alliances do not only enhance the credibility of Pakistan in the international front, but also serve according to the world standards of justice. However, much remains to be done- especially in the area of tracing financial trails of financial chains that fund the trafficking and ensuring the embassies of other nations are well equipped to assist the vulnerable citizens.
Another significant puzzle is corruption. There is no trafficking with no collusion somewhere in the middle of the channel- it can be a border guard who does not realize the situation or an official who speeds up the falsity of the documents. Anti-corruption mission must be distributed throughout the enforcement levels in Pakistan, which should be responsible and transparent. In that regard, integrity is not a simple moral theory, but it is a tool against organized crime.
Women who can most likely be victims of trafficking are also to be empowered as a solution. They can be increased in law enforcement, community leadership and policy making and this will give them a perspective that is emphatic and powerful. Gender sensitive policing and support structures do not just need to be put in place by the police, but they must be put in place to break the gendered flavour of exploitation.
The anti-human trafficking war in the action of Pakistan should in future evolve into a societal fight. Social change should be not a alone task and should not be legislated and enforced by the governments. Checking of the supply chains and labour recruitment practices would be the role of the private sector. The media and learning institutions can be used to create awareness especially among the youth who form the targeted victims of traffickers. And the civil society can exert pressure on the state to keep on reforms that goes on even after the international spotlights.
Human trafficking lies in the shadow and the revelation of the shadow is the moral duty of Pakistan. Every belief, every redemption, every life restored, leads to the loss of a bit more of a system of exploitation, which has always seemed impregnable, to ruin. The developments of the recent times, such as the reforms of the law, the collaboration with the international community, and the assistance of the victims may be viewed as the expression of the government that realizes that its international reputation is not so strongly attached to the diplomatic abilities as the human rights.
However, the enhancement has to be quicker. The solution involves rationalized laws, computerized services, empowered societies and heartless revelation. Pakistan has already shown that it is able to do, now it must act. Trafficking is not all about controlling the border, but border human control.
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