UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — How should India tackle child trafficking?

Q1. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, how many Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs), including those in Border Guarding Forces, are operational in India?

  • A. 388
  • B. 588
  • C. 788
  • D. 988

Q2. With reference to the provisions on trafficking under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 vis-à-vis the erstwhile Indian Penal Code, 1860, consider the following statements: 1. The BNS has replaced Sections 370 and 370A of the IPC with Sections 143 and 144 dealing with trafficking and exploitation of trafficked persons. 2. Unlike the erstwhile IPC provisions, the BNS expressly includes 'beggary' as a form of exploitation for the offence of trafficking. 3. The BNS has reduced the minimum punishment prescribed for the trafficking of a child from ten years to five years of imprisonment. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The BNS has replaced Sections 370 and 370A of the IPC with Sections 143 and 144 dealing with trafficking and exploitation of trafficked persons.
  2. Unlike the erstwhile IPC provisions, the BNS expressly includes 'beggary' as a form of exploitation for the offence of trafficking.
  3. The BNS has reduced the minimum punishment prescribed for the trafficking of a child from ten years to five years of imprisonment.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which of the following are recognised as forms of 'exploitation' for the offence of trafficking? 1. Sexual exploitation 2. Forced labour or services 3. Beggary 4. Tax evasion Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Sexual exploitation
  2. Forced labour or services
  3. Beggary
  4. Tax evasion
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3 only

Q4. Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs), set up at the district level and funded through the Nirbhaya Fund, function under the administrative control of which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Women and Child Development
  • B. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • C. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • D. Ministry of Labour and Employment

Q5. In its 2025 directions on child trafficking, the Supreme Court mandated that trials in child trafficking cases must be completed within a fixed time-frame and heard on a day-to-day basis. This time-frame fixed by the Court is:

  • A. Three months
  • B. Six months
  • C. One year
  • D. Two years