The US Consulate Kolkata — in collaboration with activists, State officials and law enforcement agencies — will extend its reach to different districts of Jharkhand and spread awareness about human trafficking among adolescent girls as a part of its ‘From One to Many: Ignite the Force’ campaign.
Representatives of the US Consulate, top officials of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Jharkhand Police and members of Delhi-based NGO Shakti Vahini launched the campaign in Ranchi on Friday. US Consulate’s Political/Economic Officer Sonia Laul said, “We are committed to intensifying our efforts to end human trafficking through a year-round, multilateral approach that supports the coordination of anti-trafficking efforts through meaningful engagement with local Governments, law enforcement agencies, judiciary, civil society, private sector and trafficking survivors.”
The project goal is to empower youth to lead prevention campaigns. Besides Ranchi, the workshop was launched in Patna and Guwahati earlier. The three workshops will allow stakeholders in each state to learn about the model and discuss best practices, keeping in mind local issues and the socio-cultural scenario.
Following the workshops, participants will continue to network and share developments, as well as lead two pilot projects in each of the three states. Six months after the workshops, participants will convene for an international conclave at the American Center Kolkata to share impact stories of the pilot projects and discuss ways to continue to strengthen collaboration.
A Supreme Court lawyer, Ravi Kant, who also happens to be a founder member of Shakti Vahini, said that human trafficking has grown in magnitude in Jharkhand and the years of efforts have not been able to curtail the problem entirely. “Awareness is the key to curbing the menace of human trafficking. We will be visiting different villages and spread awareness among children in the age bracket of 14 to 18 years in a bid to ensure that the children know about the crime and how it is perpetrated through agents in Jharkhand,” he said.
The President of United States of America, Donald Trump has proclaimed January as ‘National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month’. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the passage of the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and adoption of the United Nations’ protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children.
The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report states that Jharkhand is among the worst-affected States in India in terms of human trafficking. At least 131 incidents of human trafficking were reported in Jharkhand in year 2018 — the fifth highest in the country. Global estimates indicate that as many as 24.9 million people — adults and children — are victims of human trafficking. Traffickers deprive their victims of the ability to exercise their unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, a press communiqué from the US Consulate said.
