Imphal, February 02 2010: Commissioner of Social Welfare, Government of Manipur Letkhogin Haokip has called for putting a check on the activities of some religious leaders who are taking out women and children from the State to other places on the pretext of providing employment and free education.
Speaking as chief guest of the inaugural function of a day-long sensitisation programme of Church leaders on human trafficking at State Guest House here today, Letkhogin pointed out that among the Christian leaders, there are some who indulge in trafficking of young women and children from the State to other States of the country on false promises of providing jobs and free education.
Such instances not only tarnish image of the Christian religion but also the reputation of Manipur before other States.
So there is the need on the part of the Church leaders to understand the nature of human trafficking and play a pivotal role in checking it by spreading awareness among the parents and youth coming to the Churches, he added.
Organised jointly by Social Welfare Department, Government of Manipur and Child Welfare Committee, the inaugural function of the sensitisation programme was attended by Director of Social Welfare S Saratkumar Sharma and State Programme Officer of ICDS Ranjana Manoharmayum as president and guest of honour respectively.
In his presidential address, Saratkumar observed that Social Welfare Department alone would not be able to stop human trafficking.
There should be a concerted effort of the public, police and other related Departments.
Though there is no harm in sending their children for education and job outside the State, every parent, however, should try to get the detailed information about the home/school or where their children would be staying/studying or the work place they would be employed before entrusting their children to anybody.
Even if there is difficulty in collecting these informations all by themselves, the parents should contact the Child Welfare Committees in every district so the required informations could be collected in advance, Saratkumar said.
Participating in the programme as a resource person, centre co-ordinator of Child Line, Imphal Mala Lisam explained that human trafficking is an organised crime involving network of many people.
All over the world, the crime has been on the rise as it is very profitable and the victims can be sold and exploited over and over again.
The victims can also be transferred from one place to another including cross border and exploited in many ways.
They could be either engaged in household works or forced into prostitution and pornographic filming, transportation of drugs and their organs removed for sale, Mala cautioned.
Young women and children living in border areas or those coming from poor families are more vulnerable and likely to fall into the trap of human traffickers, she added.
Christian leaders coming from outside Manipur were also present during the programme in which in-depth discussion on various topics including salient features of Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 (Amended 2006), role of Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, role of Church leaders for prevention of human trafficking, etc was held.
A film on the issue of human trafficking was also screened during the programme.