Nobel laureate reaches out to trafficking victims

GUWAHATI: The state is going to be the first in the country to get a rehabilitation and welfare fund under the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation for the rescue and rehabilitation of victims of child trafficking and slavery.
The fund will be set up with the help of the state government, Nobel peace prize winner Kailash Satyarthi said here on Tuesday.
He met chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday morning and sought his support to begin the mission in Assam, from where, he said, a large number of children are trafficked. The Nobel laureate plans to begin work in the state with around Rs 2 crore initially.
“The northeast, particularly Assam, has become a hub of trafficking with hundreds of children going missing. The problem is increasing. A large number of tribals are being trafficked from the state to cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Middlemen and unscrupulous placement agencies are involved in sending girls from the state to brothels and making them work as labourers,” Satyarthi said.
Satyarthi’s ambitious children’s foundation aims to create, implement and advocate child-friendly policies to ensure the holistic development and empowerment of children.
To achieve its goal, the foundation has been encouraging the government, businessmen, civil society, children and youngsters to participate in formulating strategies and action points to protect children from the worst forms of abuse.
Satyarthi has been instrumental in bringing the issue of child trafficking from the northeast to the forefront. His efforts have led to the rescue of 71 children from Assam. Of these, 44 boys and 27 girls hailed from Sonitpur, Lakhimpur and Nagaon districts of the state. While some of them were being made to work as domestic helps, others were rescued from commercial enterprises like restaurants and circuses.
Satyarthi also appealed to corporate houses and industries to support his mission in Assam with financial assistance.
Considering recent incidents of child labourers and victims of child marriages from the state being rescued in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, Satyarthi said he has urged the chief minister to appoint a senior officer at Assam House in Delhi to help trafficked children.
During his discussion with the chief minister, Satyarthi urged the state government to start a statewide action plan that will encompass a definitive role, responsibility and accountability of government departments on trafficking. He also urged the government to take responsibility for ensuring safe migration of children.