IMPHAL, Nov 9: A one-day consultation programme on child-trafficking organized by Coalition on Children’s Right to Protection (CCRP), Manipur in collaboration with Social Welfare Department was held today at the conference hall of Social Welfare Department, Imphal.
The inaugural session of the programme was graced by Surrender A Shishak, women’s development officer of Social Welfare Department, M Purnimashi Devi, chairperson of Manipur Mahila Kalyan Samiti, and Ashim Kumar Ghosh, manager (development and support) of CRY, Kolkata, as the chief guest, president and guest of honour respectively.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Shishak stated that root causes of child-trafficking are failure of education system, poverty and conflict situation which has caused internal displacement of the people.
The children are often trafficked to other states in the name of giving education or employment whereby leading to gross exploitation of child rights. The ignorant parents often make blunders by believing the promises of the traffickers, she said.
The problem of child-trafficking can be solved only when the concerned authority provides good quality education and takes up various schemes for poverty elevation. Moreover, the conflict situation needs to be redressed by the state government so as to solve the problems of displaced people and prevent child-trafficking which is a major issue in the state, Shishak added.
Ashim Kumar maintained child-trafficking is one of the greatest problems in the north-east and the concerned authority should devise policies to prevent child-trafficking and uplift the status of children in the society.
The technical session was moderated by Inspector K. Geetchandra, OC of Porompat Police Station cum child welfare officer, and the resource persons were senior advocate Khaidem Mani and N Philips of ISTV.
