The US Consulate General Hyderabad and a Hyderabad-based anti-trafficking organisation Prajwala launched ‘Swaraksha’, a community awakening caravan to counter trafficking.
The Caravan would reach Odisha on March 18 and travel all the districts, informed Prajwala founder Padmashree Sunitha Krishnan at a Press held here on Wednesday. The team would be here in the State till May 18, she added.
Swaraksha was launched on January 9 from Hyderabad and would travel 53 districts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha targeting 132 million people till May. “We would cover the country within two years,” Krishnan informed.
She also said the campaign aims to awaken the communities on the dangers of human trafficking, motivating communities to protect themselves, and giving them the tools to say ‘no’ to traffickers. It would also address men and boys to target the demand for commercial sexual exploitation, she added.
“We would enter the State through Gajapati and explain the problems and counsel the people on the issues,” Krishnan said. The organisation has rescued the youngest three-year-old girl child during their drive earlier, she informed.
Documentary films on trafficking would be screened. A series of programmes would also be conducted to alert communities on how the network of human smugglers operate, and the modus operandi they have adopted to trap boys and girls to lure them in the name of employment, marriage, love, film roles or for a better life
“Human trafficking is an organised crime and our aim is to tackle the supply and demand of humans. For us trafficking is a human disaster,” said Krishnan.
The Prajwala would start the caravan in association with the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) and the Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
“We have signed an MoU with the Prajwala for this noble work and it would be a huge success in Odisha,” KIIT and KIIS founder Dr Achyuta Samanta hoped.
Among others, CRS head Kirti Mishra and Swaraksha coordinator Amrita Patel were present. Posters of the campaign were launched on the occasion.