A Mukti Caravan, flagged off here last week, is mobilising people against child trafficking with the focus on generating awareness about preventive procedures in place to combat forced labour, exploitation and sexual abuse of children. The caravan will travel to eight districts of Rajasthan during the next two months.
Led by the child labour survivors, the caravan will reach out to villages and towns prone to human trafficking. The participants will distribute pamphlets and hold discussions with the people at public places and organise activities such as skits, poem recitation and screening of short films with an appeal to take action against trafficking.
Police join campaign
Director-General of Police Bhupendra Singh flagged off the caravan at the iconic Albert Hall Museum here on Friday. The Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF) and Rajasthan Police have joined hands to run the campaign, which will be joined by the Superintendents of Police in the districts of their jurisdiction.
KSCF activists will also engage with the policemen to sensitise them about dealing with the crimes against children as well as the children in conflict with law. Bachpan Bachao Andolan executive director Dhananjay Tingal said the partnership with police and the anti-human trafficking units would help in the efforts to make Rajasthan a child-friendly State.
The National Crime Records Bureau’s latest report has placed Rajasthan at sixth position in 2018 in terms of victims of trafficking being found. Mr. Tingal congratulated the police for rescuing 137 children of the State from Surat, Gujarat, in December 2019 and said the caravan would serve the purpose of eradicating children’s exploitation.
Helpline number
The caravan will cover Jaipur, Tonk, Bhilwara, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh and Banswara districts, which are prone to human trafficking. Activists will provide a helpline number to the people for quick action to deal with the instances of child trafficking.
Spreading awareness
Mukesh, a former child labourer rehabilitated at Baal Ashram in Viratnagar, said he had learnt to lead an independent life after being rescued and would spread awareness about the menace of trafficking during the caravan’s journey.
Nobel peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi had recently met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and laid emphasis on strengthening the Anti-Human Trafficking Units to curb child trafficking.
