Anti-Human Trafficking Workshop
On February 09, 2024, a one-day Anti-Human Trafficking Workshop was organised at 53rd Battalion, SSB, Simlabari-Falakata. The workshop was chaired by Sh. Sudhir Kumar, Inspector General, SSB Frontier Siliguri. Altogether 15 Officers and 58 Officials from 11 battalions, 2 Sector HQs and Frontier Siliguri attended the workshop. Sh. D B Sonar, DIG, Ftr Siliguri and Sh. Hrishikesh Sharma, DIG, Sector Jalpaiguri were also present during the workshop.
During the workshop, experts in the field of Trafficking took sessions. Sh. Raju Nepali, Founder & Director of Duars Expressmail, Oodlabari, Jalpaiguri, who has rescued over 2000 children and women, gave talk on suspect identification, modus operandi and new trends in Human Trafficking and how to interrogate in cases of trafficking. During his interactive sessions, he shared various case studies and also made all aware of the active traffickers in the area. On the other hand, Sh. Tej Kumar Thapa, Senior Child Protection Officer, Anugyalaya, D.D.S.S.S (Darjeeling Diocese Social Service Society), Sikkim, who has led more than 100 raids and rescue ops and saved over 8000 children and women, shed light on various laws governing child rights and trafficking. He also shared case studies and experiences which helped participants understand the nitty-gritty of Indian Laws and how to act under the ambit of law while saving those in distress. It is worth mentioning here that Sh. Tej Kumar Thapa had started working in this field after joining the movement of Bachpan Bachao Andolan in 2004 inspired by Nobel Laureate Shri Kailash Satyarthi. To even more enrich the workshop, a young enthusiast Ms. Alisha Yadav, Project Coordinator, Child Rights Seva Kendra, Siliguri thrusted upon developing role models in society for awareness and to deter heinous crimes related to children. She explained the role of Child Welfare Committee and also talked about Preventive Measures to curb the menace of Child Trafficking. Workshop concluded with a Panel Discussion comprising all the Guest Speakers and SSB Officers during which practical issues and problems faced during rescue ops were discussed.
During the workshop, Sh Vijai Singh, Commandant, 53rd BN felicitated Sh. Sudhir Kumar, IG, Ftr Siliguri with Memento and Khada and Guest Speakers too were honoured and presented Memento and Khada by the Inspector General.
Sh. Sudhir Kumar, IG along with all the officers, joined the participants (SOs and Jawans) during a common lunch and inspired all to work pro-actively, learn rules & laws and develop effective network to stop trafficking as much as possible. He also emphasized on the role of SSB in Human Trafficking, as the sentinels of Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan Borders.