Mobilising anti trafficking forces

On the occasion of the commemoration of Caravan Swaraksha, a joint effort by the US Consulate General, Hyderabad, and its NGO partners CRS and Prajwala, the State government has announced its interest to collaborate with agencies and people working towards anti-trafficking

The Telangana State government is open to collaborate with agencies and NGOs that are rendering yeomen service towards reducing the menace of human trafficking that has assumed alarming proportions. This was stated my M Jagadeeshwar, Secretary of Women and Child Welfare Department, at a function organised to commemorate docking of Caravan Swaraksha, a joint effort by the US Consulate General, Hyderabad, and its NGO partners CRS and Prajwala.

It has traversed around 10, 000 km spread over the 23 districts of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in a record 70 days. It is presently spreading awareness in Odisha. A highlight of the function was the felicitation of outstanding Swaraksha campaign NGO partners, who came down from both the States.

The anti-trafficking-in-persons campaign took-off on January 9 with the objective of building awareness in rural communities about human trafficking and how they were destroying the social fabric all over. Dr Sunitha Krishnan founder of Prajwala said that it was a very satisfactory exercise as they could reach out to over four lakh people, who subsequently became actively involved in the mission.

Michael C Mullins, Consul General, US Consulate General, Hyderabad, said they were happy to be a part of a mission that was bringing smiles by helping to mobilise men to say ‘No’ to trafficking. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State are second behind West Bengal in trafficking cases.

Krishnan pointed out that this was the first-of-its-kind people’s movement against human trafficking. The community awakening could be reflected in the huge turnouts at rallies and human chain programmes. She said a bigger success from the programme was the admission by around 40 people that were involved in the heinous business. She said they will shortly work on an effective blueprint whereby such ‘surrendered’ traffickers would be rehabilitated in course of time.

In addition, she mentioned that it was a good augury that people had voluntarily joined the Caravan, thanks to the efforts of stakeholders, including District Collectors, Judges, Superintendents of Police, Project Directors and ICDS, which directly had partnered in the campaign.

Prajwala had assistance of Anganwadi workers and school/college students besides 22 NGO partners from the two Telugu-speaking States. Mullins said that they would be partnering with all such endeavours that were aimed at cleansing society and usher in a change in people’s lives. Prajwala, which took the caravan around the three States, would cover all other States in the country.