On the occasion of celebrating the Human Anti-Trafficking Day, on Friday, 28th of July, 2023, a large conclave of women volunteers was held at Tughlakabad by STOP (R.B.C.T.). About 300 women and girls participated in the conclave.
A leading social activist, Sh. Amitava Bhattacharyya, former CIC, and a retired Senior IAS officer, while initiating the discussion, mentioned that human trafficking:
1. Is the 3rd most internationally recognized organized criminal activity in the world
2. Comes after drugs and illegal weapons trade.
2. Various initiatives by government and civil society organizations have been initiated without any appreciable result.
3. A report to the parliament by the gov a few days ago stated that in a span of two years, i.e. 2020-22, about 7 lakh women and children were missing.
This is a serious social ill; not just the government and civil society organizations, but the people, especially the parents, should be aware of the various dimensions of this problem.
The other activists, namely Smritikana Ghosh Paul, Janki Gadhvi, Poonam Choudhary, Narayani Bhattacharya, and Mahima Rao spoke on this occasion. The role of the community as first responders and the need for establishing a close link between the NGO, i.e. stop and our Mahila Mandals and vigilantes, was stressed again and again, so that any incidence of missing women and children can be detected and reported in the very first instance itself.
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