M.S. Santhosh, member-secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, said Shivamogga district in Karnataka records an average of 200 POCSO cases and around 50 child marriages annually. He spoke at a workshop on the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act held on February 11. Mr. Santhosh emphasized the need for all departments to work together to fight crimes against children and women. He explained that the Department of Women and Child Development has created a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to handle cases of immoral trafficking and crimes against these groups. He warned, "Officers face a jail term if they fail to report any crime against a child after it comes to their attention. Similarly, if a police officer refuses to file a case, he or she will face imprisonment." Mr. Santhosh outlined five main reasons for human trafficking: sexual exploitation, bonded labour, child labour or begging, and forced removal of human organs. He added, "Fortunately, no cases of this nature have been reported in Shivamogga district in recent years." The workshop was organized by the district administration, District Legal Services Authority, district police, and the Women and Child Development Department. Officers from the Women and Child Development, Social Welfare, Labour Departments, and others attended. Key participants included Deputy Superintendent of Police Babu Anjanappa, Assistant Commissioner G.H. Sathyanarayana, and Deputy Director of Women and Child Development Bharathi R. Banakar.