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Be Alert Raise Alarm: Awareness Campaign to Prevent Human Trafficking

115 locations, 19 districts, 3 states… and a travelling caravan.

Contact Base in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate General Kolkata and Shakti Vahini, launched the Be Alert Raise Alarm #stophumantrafficking campaign on 17 March, 2017 at Kolkata. The objective was to generate awareness on recent trends and modalities of human trafficking and ways to reduce vulnerability. The campaign covered West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar.




The Campaign partners were: State Child Protection Society, Government of West Bengal, Department of Women Child Development & Social Security, Government of Jharkhand, Directorate of Social Welfare and Department of Labour, Government of Bihar, Police in all three states, more than 70 NGOs across three states and more than 28 schools and colleges.


A vehicle was transformed into a travelling caravan designed in local languages with thematic messages, news clippings on the issue and helpline numbers.


The Caravan carried the team, theatre group, posters, leaflets, stickers and exhibits. It covered the following districts:

West Bengal: Kolkata, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Nadia and Murshidabad
Jharkhand: Ranchi, Lohardaga, Gumla, Simdega, Khunti and West Singhbhum
Bihar: Gaya, Patna, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Araria, Kishanganj, Purnea and Katihar


The theatre teams performed street plays highlighting the ramifications of trafficking and need for community led action. 

In West Bengal, it was shared how child marriage leads to trafficking.


In Jharkhand, the theme of the play was trafficking under the ploy of domestic work.


In Bihar, the play focused on trafficking for child labour and commercial sexual exploitation.




Audiences were engaged in activities like post-theatre show interaction, quiz and poster making. Film on trafficking was screened during the campaign. 


Tens of thousands liked the campaign page ‘Be Alert, Raise Alarm’, and joined the public group ‘I Fight TIP’ and Twitter handle @ifightTIP. More than 70 NGOs and 26 educational institutes supported the campaign.


Youngsters have sent doodles and graphic stories demonstrating the different ways to prevent human trafficking, thus extending their support to the campaign. The winners were awarded at the TIP Conclave at Patna on May 13, 2017. 



The campaign brought to light the modes used by the traffickers. People appreciated the information such as the helpline numbers and the available government schemes. People learned about AHTUs and reported cases of missing children even leading to rescues. Youth from schools and colleges have stepped forward to form anti-human trafficking (AHT) clubs. 


The Caravan’s journey came to an end on 30 April, 2017 but the fight against human trafficking is a protracted one and shall continue for a long time to come...


Watch a visual journey of the Caravan.
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Comments

  1. SUDHANSHU KUMARMay 28, 2017 at 8:51 PM

    Read my Article to find the relationship between Hunger and Trafficking.

    http://sidwanshu.blogspot.in/2017/05/anti-hunger-anti-human-Trafficking.html

    ReplyDelete

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