US Consulate Kolkata, Shakti Vahini launch workshop series

PREVENTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING

STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati: U.S. President Donald Trump has proclaimed January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

Following the announcement and also as a part of U.S. Consulate General Kolkata’s ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking, the Consulate and NGO Shakti Vahini have launched “From One To Many -Ignite the Force” – a series of anti-trafficking workshops to empower youth to combat human trafficking and facilitate inter and intra state collaboration in three cities – Guwahati, Patna and Ranchi.

The project goal is to empower youth to lead prevention campaigns, such as the Swayamsiddha campaign in West Bengal that has forged a multi-stakeholder collaboration to empower school girls. 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 state. 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.

American Center Kolkata Director Monica Shie said, “The U.S. Consulate General Kolkata is 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, judiciary, civil society, the private sector, and trafficking survivors.”

Founder of Shakti Vahini, Ravi Kant said, “Human trafficking is an organized crime and over the years it has grown in dimensions. The missing children data as reported by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is an indicator of the magnitude of the problem. It is important to make our children and youth aware of this problem so that they are aware of the designs of the traffickers and know of the various support mechanisms which are present.”

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