WAD appreciation for state action on trafficked children

IMPHAL, April 2: The Women Action for Development (WAD) in a press release, has expressed its appreciation and acknowledgement of  the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and Social Welfare Minister AK Mirabai for their gracious support in taking responsibility to protect and promote the rights of the children who have been rescued by visiting the observation home at Takyel, Imphal to monitor the situation and condition of 23 rescued children who were repatriated from Jaipur, Rajasthan.

In the release, Sobita Mangsatabam secretary WAD also extended gratitude to the concerned department and Child Welfare Committee members for their commitment and struggle in bringing back the trafficked children to Manipur. "WAD and its counterpart NGOs, Community Based Organizations and People based Organizations of Manipur warmly welcome the timely support of our CM through his personal visit  and looking into the issue of child trafficking with serious concern. We look forward for the continuation of support to the cause of women and children," it said.

It continued that the home-coming of the 23 rescued children after the initiatives taken up by the concerned department will give a ray of hope to the rescued children and pointed out that poverty stricken, uneducated  parents who are impacted by the armed conflict in the state are the targets of child trafficking as they can be easily lured  with false promises and opportunities.

Asserting that the government must take various precautionary measures, the release further said that the assurance of the CM  to establish a free residential school in each district of Manipur under the SSA, especially for under-privileged and victimized children is highly recommended as it will also aid the process of rehabilitation and reintegration. "Providing free medical assistance and balanced nutrition with free transportation to the rescued victims as a part of rehabilitation protocol is also highly greeted by the WAD," the release went on to say while adding that there are many priority areas that need to be developed by the state government and implemented so as to check the rising crimes against children and for the welfare of the victimized children.

WAD has further appealed to the state government  to check the condition of the families of the trafficked children and their relationship with the children prior to the reintegration with family;  to deliver proper counseling and rehabilitation to the repatriated children followed by the community reintegration; to give befitting punishment to traffickers according to law;to build up a strong co-ordination and collaboration with the state government and the concerned departments including the Social Welfare department, law enforcing departments, Health department, Labor department and the Education department) in order to protect and promote child rights and also to carry out urgent survey in all the nine districts to check the number of children that are being trafficked from the state and to set up a special mechanism to check further crimes.