Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi has launched the Mukti Caravan at the Kumbh Mela 2019, a campaign to free children from exploitation and abuse. By Team Viva

It might be happening in the city you live in. Maybe, it’s happening in your neighbourhood right now. It might even be happening to someone you know — child-trafficking and abuse or child labour.

With the aim of making Kumbh a child-friendly Mela, Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) founded by the Nobel Peace Laureate and the Mayor of Prayagraj has made a commitment to launch the Mukti Caravan, a grassroots campaign on wheels to free children from all forms of exploitation.

The campaign is part of the nationwide movement of the foundation and aims to generate awareness among masses on issues of child trafficking, child abuse and child labour.

The Mukti Caravan campaign which had a great impact in Bihar and Jharkhand, will be replicated in Prayagraj along with the support of the district administration. It will act as a safety net for the children and will keep a tab on incidents of inter-state trafficking.

“The campaign will mobilise people on issues of child trafficking and child labour. The aim of Mukti Caravan is to make the religious gathering a child friendly Kumbh (Bal Mitra Kumbh),” said Bidhan Chandra Singh, executive director, KSCF.

“It was first launched in 1997 in many Indian states and has been re-launched with the aim of making people aware about the preventive measures already in place to fight child trafficking, child labour and child abuse,” he added.

As per news reports, in the 2013 Kumbh Mela, nearly three lakh people, including thousands of children had gone missing.

The volunteers associated with KSCF will be running a campaign in the mela premises with the help of wall posters, banners, folk songs and camps to spread awareness. The awareness campaigns will ensure that people are extra cautious of the exploitative forces that pose a threat to children and be proactive in reporting any such suspicious activities.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mayor of Prayagraj said, “Due to such a large number of people attending the Kumbh Mela, there are chances of thousands of children getting separated from their parents and they could end up in the hands of traffickers. Mukti Caravan will be extending a security cover to such vulnerable children. It will also curb inter-state trafficking of children.”

Abhilasha flagged off the Mukti Caravan and said, “Children are the future of our country and they will take this country and society to new heights with their sheer talent. We need to simply groom them accordingly. Mukti Caravan has been doing a great service for the cause of children and this campaign reunites the lost children with their parents.”