Caritas India’s Anti-Human Trafficking partners have organised several public events at the State level to raise awareness and mark the importance of World Day against Trafficking in Person on 30th July 2022. 

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) observed the World Day against Trafficking in Persons for the first time in 2013 to raise awareness of the plight of human trafficking victims and to promote and protect their rights.

This year’s theme ‘Use and Abuse of Technology’, primarily focuses on technology being a tool to proliferate and impede human trafficking with the paradigm majorly shifting to digital, the vulnerability of victims has increased. The COVID-19 lockdown has closed all physical interactions but has opened the virtual world to a whole lot of new users including children through the internet. This has created a new danger, as the traffickers have open portals to reach the innocent more conveniently. 

Caritas India and her partners in Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh implementing Anti-Human Trafficking programme have conducted awareness drives, rallies, and workshops by converging with other stakeholders in the State to create awareness on this topic. 

In North, Caritas India and its Swaraksha Anti-Human Trafficking partners joined hands with Women and Child Safety Organization (WCSO), UNICEF, Plan India and like-minded NGOs to observe the day with children who are vulnerable and are at the risk of being trafficked. The objective of including the children on this day was to make them aware on the use of technology in post covid era. The event was conducted under the leadership of Additional Director General of Police for women and Child safety in Uttar Pradesh, Ms. Neera Rawat. She interacted with the children and informed that the menace of human trafficking spoils the lives of little children who miss their childhood as they become a victim of human trafficking. 

A short video was screened to sensitize children on accessing helpline support during an emergency followed by a skit presented by WCSO staff on Human Trafficking to sensitize children.

Caritas India, UNICEF and Plan together with the University of Lucknow organised and facilitated a workshop for the social work students and National Service Scheme students to share about Human Trafficking and its different elements related to Supply and Demand. Students were informed about the Rehabilitation and reintegration of rescued victims. UNICEF Representative shared how students can volunteer themselves to curb Human trafficking and what are the roles and responsibilities of the volunteers.

Swaraksha AHT Program Partners PGSS and DEHAT observed the day with law enforcement agencies and border forces. A mass awareness against Human trafficking was done through mobile van and Rallies disseminating messages of preventive measures against Human Trafficking and where to call in case of any emergency related to abuse. The vehicle with the sensitizing messages moved in two blocks of Indo-Nepal district Maharajganj and covered around thirty-eight villages with the reach of twelve thousand people. The messages were disseminated through mikes and handbills with slogans, songs and sensitizing content against human Trafficking and promoting our national flag at every house while the country will be observing the seventy-fifth anniversary of its Independence on 15th August 2022.

In Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, six mass rallies were organised by Seva Kendra Silchar (SKS) Assam, Itanagar Development Empowerment Association (IDEA) Arunachal, Seva Kendra Dibrugarh (SKD) Assam, and Centre for Development Initiatives (CDI) Assam. 

In Silchar, the rally was flagged off by Addl, Superintendent of Police Shri. Pradip Konwar, IPS. In his message, he urged everyone to join hands in combating human trafficking and emphasized that awareness should be spread far and wide, especially in rural areas. The rally organized at IDEA, Itanagar created awareness among the communities. Whereas, Seva Kendra Dibrugarh took the rally from Sarupathar Railway platform via market areas to create awareness of the heinous crime of human trafficking which has conquered cyberspace. CDI too organised a short rally within Udalguri Town with the theme “Stop Human Trafficking”. 

Northeast Diocesan Social Service Society (NEDSSS), Seva Kendra Dibrugarh (SKD) & Seva Kendra Silchar (SKS) took the opportunity to organised a workshop on the WDATIP 2022 theme “Use and Abuse of Technology” in different vicinities to deliberate and take forward more seriously the issues of human trafficking.

Apart from the rallies and workshops, theme-based lectures, Skit, cultural and games were organized as a platform to pass on the message against human slavery and one should oppose such business. A poster campaign on the local van, taxis and e-rickshaw was organized in the Udalguri area. The posters to stop human trafficking were pasted behind and on the vehicle wall and in the market area. 

Caritas India from the inception of the Anti-Human trafficking program in the Northeast is wounded to understand the magnitude of human slavery in the region. It is also found that human trafficking has not been heard or reported as trafficking, but commonly people knew it as a missing case that is prevalent for decades. Gradually, there are many civil organizations, working towards addressing this issue, yet being sensitive in nature, it may take a longer time unlike other development programs and until and unless everyone joins hands.