Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Kohima: Human trafficking in Nagaland is shifting away from traditional child labor into organized digital crime. Traffickers now use cybercrime, financial fraud, and money laundering to exploit victims alongside forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. The state remains a primary hub for origin, transit, and destination.
Limawabang Jamir, Secretary of the Social Welfare Department, addressed these risks on July 30 at the State Institute of Rural Development in Kohima. He spoke during an event marking the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and a training session for Mission Shakti staff. Jamir warned that traffickers often disguise their operations as educational opportunities to facilitate illegal adoptions. He urged stakeholders to remain alert.
"There are growing forms of trafficking in persons for forced criminality, closely intertwined with cybercrime, financial fraud, money-laundering, for commercial sexual activities and forced labour," Jamir said. He emphasized that authorities must tighten coordination to safeguard women and children.
Mission Shakti manages a wide network across the state. This includes Shakti-One Stop Centres in 17 districts and Shakti Sadans in 6 districts. Between April and June 2026, One Stop Centres handled 125 cases of gender-based violence. The Women Helpline-181 recorded another 53 cases during that same period. For the 2025-26 financial year, those centres handled 311 cases. The helpline received 2,090 total calls, with 144 requiring direct intervention. Cases involve sexual assault, POCSO offenses, domestic violence, and missing persons.
Social Welfare Director Tosheli Zhimomi praised the staff for their work despite ongoing delays in salary payments. She confirmed the department is pushing the Ministry to release the missing honorariums soon. Zhimomi also directed staff to coordinate closely with Mission Vatsalya.
Nagaland State Commission for Women Chairperson W. Nginyeih Konyak pushed for faster communication between the Social Welfare Department, local administration, and police. She argued that bureaucratic delays put victims at risk. Her office organized the training alongside the National Commission for Women to ensure frontline workers can handle the complex realities of modern exploitation. Workers must now focus on providing survivors with sustained legal, psychological, and economic support to prevent re-trafficking.
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