Newmai News Network
Tura | August 18
Increasing cases of men, women and children going missing from their homes to later be found outside the state, either trafficked or exploited has led to many social activists seeking large scale awareness in all districts of Garo Hills of Meghalaya.
The recent case of a minor being trafficked in Gurugram in Delhi’s NCR has been an eye opener with the parents allowing the girl to be taken to the capital by otherwise unknown characters.
“The fact that they trusted the minor girl with someone they did not know well is in itself a huge surprise to many. This is not an isolated case and happened due to a lack of awareness. There are many such documented cases across Garo Hills,” asserted Achik Youth Council (AYC) general secretary, Maxbirth Momin.
The AYC has pitched for intensified awareness campaigns to be taken up across all districts in Garo Hills to ensure, children, if not parents, are aware of how rackets such as these run and can protect themselves.
“Just one or two such awareness camps will not suffice as the problem is of plenty. Hunger and a lack of employment opportunities have aggravated the situation. For others it is just plain laziness that is at the back of such acts taking place,” said another social and president of AYC, Silning D Sangma.
The situation in the area has turned into a headache for many in the police and district administration as well.
“Concerted efforts have to be made or these cases will continue to build. It is not uncommon to see 2-3 cases come through every week – all because most are not even aware of what is happening,” said a police source.
While trafficking is one of the issues that require a serious looking into, many from the region have also been cheated through job opportunities where they have been paid much lesser than what has been promised and made to overwork.
“Awareness may not get rid of the problem but we need to at least put in our efforts to inform everyone. This will help reduce the exploitation of vulnerable men, women and children,” added another social activist, Jaynie Sangma. The problem however has been the lack of resource persons as well funds to start campaigns.
“These campaigns can be life changing for many but managing resources, finances and otherwise is an uphill task. Many need to be involved and getting experts is the challenge but we have to give it a shot,” felt Momin.
