Cross Border Anti Human Trafficking Program Swaraksha Rolled out by Caritas India three years back had not only created mass awareness and sensitized a large number of people living at the Indo-Nepal border villages, but also it had developed the sense of ownership of this Program among different stakeholders and communities which can be seen now on their active involvement in combatting Human Trafficking. Many awareness and sensitization Program against Human Trafficking was done in the community in last three years which resulted in developing the community-based mechanism to address the issue of Human Trafficking in the form of unsafe migration, Child Labor and Child Marriage. Notwithstanding closed Indo-Nepal border nowadays the border forces and other agencies are at high alert to intercept any suspected movement of Human Trafficking. After the lockdown from Covid-19, the border was completely seized and no movement was seen but now partially border is open wherein only emergency movement is allowed.

During the closure border forces with the help of Swaraksha AHT Program team rescued the victims of Human trafficking from the hands of perpetrators who were trying to cross the unguarded border to take these vulnerable people, luring them for work in metro cities. It is a kind of Trafficking which is seen now during Covid-19 where vulnerable families are easily trapped by the traffickers who entice them for work and money. In this crucial situation, Purvanchal Gramin Sewa Samiti team was rigorously involved in organizing meeting with multi-stakeholders at the two borders of Indo-Nepal Sonauli and Toothibari. The objective behind these meetings was to invoke all the stakeholders for their collaboration against Trafficking at the border.

In order to curb human trafficking, the police administration has also geared up and in this context, district level workshop was organized in September under the Swaraksha AHT Program in which officers from various departments like Child welfare officers of all the police stations, CWC, ICP, ChildLine, UNICEF and other NGO representatives were present. The workshop was presided over by ASP Maharajganj in which different aspects of preventing human trafficking were discussed in the meeting. Thus, in the order of SP and ASP Maharajganj, AHTU in-charge was instructed to visit the border and vulnerable areas along with PGSS, Caritas partner, twice in a week to prevent human trafficking and create awareness meeting with the border forces at BOP camps, police stations and the communities.

In this regard, an awareness meeting was held with local police, SSB, BOP and community people at Thoothibari and Sonauli border. During this meeting, it was discovered that people from Haryana and Rajasthan are coming to these areas and taking girls from poor families to marry them. On the information received, the complaint was registered, and two persons were arrested by Thoothibari police but in the lack of proper evidence the case was closed. This can be an alert for everyone the accused, the law enforcement agencies, the victims and other stakeholders that such type of incidence is under the vigilance of police with zero tolerance and the continuous meetings of multi-stakeholders by Caritas India partner under Swaraksha AHT program has created an alert & ownership among the police, border forces and stakeholders who are very much involved in creating awareness, identifying cases and registering complaints.

PGSS is one of the major organizations who is involved in the interception of suspected cases at borders with SSB and they had strengthened the core group by regular meetings.  Recently the AHTU after the order of senior officials had started patrolling with PGSS team at the border areas seeing the increased vulnerability during Covid-19. They create awareness and sensitize the community and other agencies involved in combatting Human trafficking. During last, one month, around  102 child labourers were freed from the work in the district under the ‘No Child Labor Campaign’ and more than 8 suspected cases of Human Trafficking were intercepted and rescued at these two borders through the joint efforts of AHTU, border forces & PGSS team. This Kind of Police Patrolling at the border area with PGSS team to address the issue of Human Trafficking is one of its kind in the entire state and can be said as the praiseworthy action of Police to combat Human Trafficking.