Anti Trafficking

Khagendra Nath Das :- We are used to read in daily news paper and hear cases of kidnapping, abduction, selling of women, girls, youths as well as rescue stories.  These are news we are now used to but hardly tried to ponder in it . Why and how these are happening ? who does it? One will wonder to know that Anti trafficking is the third largest in the world after WAR and DRUGS. hu(wo)man trafficking is an issue for almost all countries and states. Human trafficking is the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labour, or a modern-day form of slavery. assist the victims of trafficking in persons with full respect for their human rights. Human trafficking are of 3 types –i) the recruitment, ii) transportation, iii) transfer, or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of oppression, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, removal of organs.
Being concern and sensitive to the issue diocese of Durgapur has initiated activities to prevent and stop anti trafficking. A meeting was  convened on 20th May by the Bishop of the diocese, Rt.Rev.Dr. Probal Kanto Dutta with Mr.Sudipta singh, director HPDP-CNI and diocesan representatives and it was decided that  diocese ought to respond and address this issue as part of   church service to greater humanity. Particularly in the area like South and North Dinajpur districts which is  a thin corridor passage to North Eastern states and the area is sharing boarding with Bangladesh and Nepal. 24 panchayat of Five blocks on north and south Dinajpur districts  have been identified and selected for the purpose.  
As part of anti trafficking strategy, the diocese will evolve a vigilant group from a village to panchayat to block to districts and the process will involve and encourage civil society, police, administration, legislatives, panchayat and village organizations to encounter trafficking rackets in the area. Village level youth clubs, self help groups, school children, particularly be equipped with information to function as grass root level vigilance group. Each pastorate level functional groups also could equip to resist and prevent anti trafficking and  in their own area.