US Consul General in Kolkata reminds role of every segment of society to prevent human trafficking

“Governments, NGOs , police, the judiciary, companies and many others must work together,” she said addressing the ninth edition of the anti-trafficking conclave at the American Center, Kolkata.

The conclave was organised by the US Consulate Kolkata in collaboration with the NGO Shakti Vahini.

The event focused on the success stories of grassroots prevention campaigns and interstate collaborations that took place in East and Northeast India.

The organisers gave an account of the inter-state collaboration and anti-trafficking workshops that were conducted in January 2020 when the anti-TIP conclave was launched a few months before the pandemic.

The workshops were conducted in Guwahati, Ranchi and Patna. The successful Swayam Siddha model of police-led school-based prevention in West Bengal has been extended to the states of Assam, Jharkhand and Bihar.

This model motivated the youth leaders to work with the police to report any cases of trafficking or suspected trafficking to the police so that it could be prevented in their community.

The action plan included collaboration with the education and the law enforcement sector as it was extremely vital that people were educated about the concept of trafficking.

Law enforcement then could be utilised to pass laws against trafficking for the welfare of the people. Paralegal workers, Panchayat officials and legal services were also invited and they played a vital role in the campaign.

During the pandemic, UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) had warned that “vulnerabilty was being created among people due to the pandemic, and if proper and effective action was not taken it could lead to virtual trafficking as people were spending most of their time on the phone.”

During the pandemic, workshops were conducted with utmost care in West Bengal. About 1,910 police personnel were present and 290 investigators were trained and the prevention campaigns reached about 4 million people.

Co-founder of Shakti Vahini, Rishi Kant said “These workshops must be taken seriously as people should understand that what happens with one girl, can also happen with your girl.” People must be aware of their surroundings, he said.

He said prevention campaigns with police during the second year of pandemic in West Bengal led to the rescue of 89 children.

US Counsul General Melinda Pavek said USA and India are the world’s largest democracies who are marking “75 years of diplomatic relations” and they have a special responsibility to “advance democracy”.

(Reporting by Shriya Biswas)