While the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked devastation across the globe, India was impacted greatly due to this virus. The lockdown followed by the economic collapse has created a perfect storm of poverty and exploitation.

No one has suffered worse than its vulnerable section. The most affected people from Covid-19 who lost their jobs are again trying to settle their lives. The new employment opportunities are so easy in the covid-19 era. So, the people are trying to find out the ways to earn through self-employment, those are unable to do so they are still trying to find the work.

The situation has given rise to the business of Human Trafficking where the preparators easily lure the needy people for Jobs or work but sell them for a very high price. The Ministry of home affairs has also put its concern Infront of all states to check Human Trafficking in their states & take certain measure to stop the menace of human trafficking for the vulnerable people effected from Pandemic. Once the Advisory was issued to all State against Human Trafficking it was mandatory for the agencies involved intake an alert on it. 

In Uttar Pradesh, the Home Secretary regulated the notification to all District Heads to sensitize the law enforcement agencies and other Govt. agencies like child welfare committee & Women and Child Development Department to stop Child trafficking in any form. Anti-Human Trafficking Units, Special Juvenile Police units and state police were involved in several campaigns against Child Labor and Crime against women in the State.  

Caritas India and its Partners under the Swaraksha Anti-Human Trafficking Program are regularly partnering with these Govt. Campaigns, ‘Say no to Child Labor’ & ‘Mission Shakti’ for women safety. Series of meetings were conducted with law enforcement agencies by partners & they were the part of many rescue operations done by Police & Border forces. In the pandemic times around thirty victims who were suspected of being trafficked were rescued through the joint operations. 

Despite the ongoing campaigns and recuse operations, Special Juvenile Police unit in Maharajganj District was not the coming for the Monthly Review meetings which were somehow affecting the mechanism of protection of children and actions against the perpetrators. Purvanchal Gramin Sewa Samiti Swaraksha (PGSS), the AHT Partner in Gorakhpur were trying to meet the Senior Police officials of the city to coordinate this meeting in the district headquarters as the district is situated on the peripheries of Nepal border with high risk for Human Trafficking cases. During the last six months, several attempts were made by PGSS after visiting the officials & requesting to conduct the Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU) Meeting. The efforts taken by PGSS in this regard got success when the Senior Police official of the District issued the letter to PGSS for coordinating the SJPU review meeting.

The meeting in the Maharajganj district for SJPU was possible due to the relentless efforts of the PGSS team members, who were sincerely involved in the dialogue to spread awareness on the importance of the meeting in favour of children who are the most vulnerable in our society.

On 30th December 2020, the first meeting of the Special Juvenile Police Unit was held at Police Line Maharajganj District under the Chairmanship of Shri Nivesh Katiyaar, the Additional Superintendent of Police, Maharajganj who lighted the lamp before the launch.

The discussion on the meeting revolved around the child protection issues, as this meeting is defined in Juvenile Justice Act 2015, where every Special Juvenile Police Unit has to review its work ever month in regard of case related to Child in Need of Care & Protection & Children in conflict with the law. 

The meeting discussed the need for the care and protection of children cases received by the police presented to the child welfare committee within 24 hours of the receipt. It was also shared to set up surveillance and legal action for human trafficking case through the entities working in the border area at main routes, bus stands, auto stands etc. coming in the Indo-Nepal border area.

The suggestions were given to put the name, mobile number of child welfare officer and operation of child/women helpdesk in all police stations and also keeping registers in the police stations. The Child welfare officers also sought details of the missing children from the area. 

Mr. Brajit, SSB Commandant 66 Battalion, Manoj Sajanwal from 22nd Battalion, Mr. Vinod Tiwari, Chairman of Child Welfare Committee, APO Maharajganj, ChildLine Maharajganj, Child Protection Officer, District Probation Officer and nominated child welfare officers and women constables from all police stations of Maharajganj district were present in the meeting.

This first meeting of the Special Juvenile Police Unit was a remarkable achievement of PGSS which was successfully organized, coordinated, facilitated and managed by AHT Swaraksha team of PGSS, Gorakhpur. It is the applaudable initiative taken by PGSS, keeping in mind the safety of children in this society & creating a fear-free environment for them. Caritas India and its Partners are constantly involved in empowering law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to end human trafficking through joint actions and coordination.