GS Paper III

News Excerpt: 

According to Interpol, the Telangana Police registered one of the first cases in India of human trafficking committed to force victims to commit cyber fraud under Operation Storm Makers II.

About Operation Storm Makers II:

• It is the first operation carried out by Interpol from October 16 to October 20 targeting Human trafficking group that forces victims to commit cyber crimes or scams on an industrial scale.
• It involves Law enforcement agencies in 27 countries across Asia and other regions.
• The operation resulted in the arrest of 281 individuals for offences such as human trafficking, passport forgery, corruption, telecommunications fraud, and sexual exploitation.

• Several citizens were taken to Dubai on the pretext of a job, only to be shipped to Thailand and then Myanmar. Once there, they were handed over to an online fraud syndicate and kept under armed guard while being trained to defraud banks.
• In India, an accountant was lured to Southeast Asia where he was forced to participate in online fraud schemes and was only able to leave after a ransom was paid.
• The Interpol operation also led to the rescue of other human trafficking victims. 
• A 13-year-old boy from Bangladesh, who had been trafficked to India was rescued in coordination with the Interpol National Central Bureaus in both countries, including the Central Bureau of Investigation. 

Reasons for committing cyber crimes by Human Trafficking Victims:

• Serious violations and abuses, including threats to their safety and security.
• E.g.- Torture and cruel behaviour, Inhuman and degrading treatment, Arbitrary detention and sexual violence.
• Forced labour, and other human rights abuses.
• The syndicates were targeting migrants stranded in these countries, many owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, for recruitment into criminal operations on the pretext of offering jobs.
• At least 1,20,000 people across Myanmar are held in this situation where they are forced to carry out online scams.

• Poverty and hunger: Victims do not have much choice but to indulge in this situation for money due to poverty.

• Fraud Advertisements: Some young women seek work abroad and are lured through fraudulent advertisements or social networking sites like Facebook.
• Corruption: Pervasive corruption, both petty and at high levels of government, allows cyber scams to flourish. 
• E.g.- Poorly paid law enforcement officers and immigration officials are vulnerable to bribes from successful criminals.

Various Initiatives to Improve the Condition:

• United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking (UNVTF) in Persons, Especially Women and Children supports the works of civil society organizations to identify potential victims while they are in the process of being trafficked.
• It was established in July 2010 by the UN General Assembly, through the adoption of Resolution 64/293, endorsing the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
• The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) was conceived to promote the global fight against human trafficking, based on international agreements reached at the UN.
• UN.GIFT was launched in Brazil in October 2007. Its objective is to promote a joint effort among civil society, government and companies to tackle the recruitment and transportation of individuals for purposes of sexual exploitation and slavery.

In India:

• The Ministry of Home Affairs established an Anti Trafficking Cell to deal with matters relating to law enforcement response to Trafficking in human beings, excluding legislative, welfare and promotional aspects, which are subject matters of the Department of Women & Child Development.
• The Government of India has also provided financial assistance to the States for setting up Anti-Human Trafficking Units at the District level. 
• A proposal for setting up and strengthening Anti Human Trafficking Units in all districts of States and UTs under the ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ has been approved.
• Formulation of Crisis Management Plan for countering cyber attacks and cyber terrorism.
• The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, of 1956 (ITPA) is the premier legislation for the prevention of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.
• State Governments have also enacted specific legislation to deal with the issue. (E.g.- The Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act, 2012).

How can this problem be addressed?

Conclusion:

While most cases remain concentrated in Southeast Asia, Operation Storm Makers II offers further evidence that this modus operandi is spreading, with victims sourced from other continents and new scam centres appearing as far afield as Latin America. The human cost of cyber scam centres continues to rise. Only concerted global action can truly address the globalization of this crime trend.

Mains PYQ

Q. Discuss different types of cyber crimes and measures required to be taken to fight the menace. (UPSC 2020)

Q. What are the different elements of cyber security? Keeping in view the challenges in cyber security, examine the extent to which India has successfully developed a comprehensive National Cyber Security Strategy. (UPSC 2022)