Rights panel calls for coordinate efforts to tackle child trafficking

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The ASCPCR (Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights) has observed that the roles of the line departments are not adequately performed with respect to any issues connected with child trafficking.

Hence, the Commission has recommended to the IS (Inspector of schools) to initiate action for data on drop out of children. The Commission further recommended to the Social Welfare Department to include the families of the children under various SS (Social Security) schemes of the government.

The Commission also recommended to the F&CS (Food & Civil Supplies) Department to ensure inclusion families of the children under NFS (National Food Security) scheme. The Commission has also recommended to the Labour department to prepare data on child labour and to work in tandem with the Education department in this regard. Such a step will help to pay attention to children who have not been attending their schools regularly. The Commission also recommended to the Social Welfare department to ensure regular supply of food to such identified children.

Since trafficking is a social evil — and Assam is a source State for trafficking of women and children — the Commission has called for increasing convergence among the line departments so that everyone can work together to save children from crimes like trafficking. Only with a joint coordination of departments, in addition to awareness can menaces like trafficking be put to check, the Commission added in a press release.

Mentionably, a team of the ASCPCR led by its Chairperson Dr Sunita Changkakati, and Commission Members Dr Pilu Hazarika, Ajoy Kumar Dutta and Phanindra Bujarbaruah visited Kokrajhar on July 26. The team met the 40 children who were rescued by the Assam Police with assistance from its Sikkim counterpart. The initiative from Assam was led by Assam Police Special Director General of Police, LR Bishnoi along with Chirang SP (Superintendent of Police) Gaurav Upadhyay.

After interaction with all these children, the ASCPCR team also found that the children were lured by a local man. He took them to Sikkim and sold them after which the children were employed as child labourers in garages, houses, restaurants and shops. The children who were taken to Sikkim for engaging them as child labourers are between seven to 18 years of age. All of them hail from remote and economically-backward villages near the Indo-Bhutan border. The team also went to the villages of the trafficked children and met their parents on July 27, 2021. It was learnt that most of the children are school dropouts.

Therefore to discuss the observations and findings of the Commission's team, the Commission called for an urgent review meeting on the same day with the DC (Deputy Commissioner), and the SP (Superintendent of Police), as well as the officials of the departments of Labour, Education, Food & Civil Supply, District Social Welfare, Child Welfare Committee and the District Child Protection Officer of Chirang, added the release.

Also Read: 42 Children From Assam Rescued in Sikkim, CM Himanta Biswa to Interact With Them

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