Prevention key to tackling human trafficking, says official

Secretary of the Women Development and Child Welfare Department A. Suryakumari on Tuesday said effective implementation of preventive measures by officials before issues emerge would yield better outcomes, instead of searching for solutions after problems arise.

She was speaking at a regional-level Training of Trainers programme on Prevention of Human Trafficking and Girl Child Safety, organised by the Women Development and Child Welfare Department in Vijayawada. Ms. Suryakumari said child protection and women empowerment were among the top priorities of the government and elaborated on the various schemes being implemented for the welfare of women and girl children.

She said District Mission Coordinators had been appointed as nodal officers in every district to ensure effective coordination of schemes. She informed that Yuva groups for youth and Sakhi groups for girl children had been formed, covering nearly 23 lakh children across the State. The objective, she said, was to reach children in government and private schools, residential institutions and those who were out of school.

Stating that human trafficking strips people of dignity and affects millions of lives across the world, Ms. Suryakumari expressed serious concern over the changing family structure and the growing influence of social media. She said emergency assistance was available through the toll-free number 112 and One-Stop Centres to ensure the safety of women and children. Emphasising that prevention rather than post-incident response was the government’s core approach, she said efforts were under way to make the State a model in child safety and women empowerment.

Social activist Sunitha Krishnan spoke about the distressing conditions faced by victims of human trafficking. Everyone was vulnerable in the digital age, she said, adding that 25 to 30% of girls trapped in trafficking were affected by HIV and suffered severe physical and psychological trauma. She noted that rehabilitation and reintegration of survivors into normal life remained a major challenge, as seen from experiences in shelter homes.

She said Andhra Pradesh was the first State in the country to implement an anti-human trafficking policy in 2003 and appreciated the support extended by the government under the leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The programme was attended by Mission Vatsalya Joint Director M. Shireesha, Mission Shakti Joint Director in-charge S. Naga Shailaja, Joint Project Coordinator S. Sunanda, Assistant Director P. Lavanya, NTR district Women Development and Child Welfare Project Director Shaik Ruksana Sultana Begum, Nodal Officer Sai Shailaja, Prajwala Junior Director Mohammed Ali and others.