Articles
- Cross Border Seminar on Anti-Trafficking, Kolkata - 2005-07-14
The "Cross Border Trafficking in Women and Girls of Nepal: Realities and Remedies" seminar was held in Kolkata, India on 14 July 2005. The event was organized by the Royal Nepalese Consulate in Kolkata, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare of Nepal and Maiti Nepal. A momentous occasion, it was the first time trafficking has been raised in seminar form, on Indian soil, by the Nepalese Government. Participants included NGO representatives, social workers, and experts working on issues of trafficking, doctors, lawyers and Nepalese women working as sex workers at Kalighat in Kolkota.
Mrs. Anuradha Koirala, Chairperson of Maiti Nepal, presented a paper on the vulnerable situation of Nepalese children and women. A number of other officials presented their ideas on how to combat cross border trafficking. Those who presented were Mrs. Indrani Sinha, Director of Sanlaap; Mr. Damayanti Sen, Police Commissioner; and Mr. K.P. Sinha, Director for the Government of West Bengal.
Group work and discussions stimulated ideas and proved to be an important part of the seminar. Three groups were formed to discuss the following issues: awareness, health, rescue, repatriation, rehabilitation and reintegration.
Minister of Women's and Children's Development and Social Welfare from the Government of West Bengal, Honorable Bishwo Nath Chaudary inaugurated the seminar and spoke on trafficking as a social ill. He explained that although today`s society tends to preach the theory of equality between sexes, this is not the case in practice. He addressed trafficking as a problem from religious and social justice perspectives. Mr. Chaudary traced today's problems back to traditional practices that treated women as commodities. He blamed people for taking advantage of the illiterate, impoverished and helpless.
Mr. Chaudary encouraged all sectors of society to work together to combat this socially destructive practice. He discussed the activities and measures being taken by the Government of West Bengal to rehabilitate survivors. The Indian Government has created laws to promote the development of women and children but laws alone will not solve this problem, he stated.
Royal Nepalese Ambassador to India, H. E. Karna Dhwoj Adhikari, also spoke of the trafficking of women and children as a social crime. His Excellency described the strong network maintained among pimps and traffickers. They are expanding this network rapidly, thus we need to find a timely solution, he asserted. He advocated the need for coordination and cooperation between NGOs and GOs and he stressed the need for support from all sectors.
Dr. Govinda Prasad Kusum, Nepalese Counselor, blamed gender discrimination, globalization and illiteracy for the upsurge in trafficking. He described the joint effort currently undertaken to prevent and remedy this problem.
Assistant Commissioner of the Kolkata Police, Mr. Prasum Mukharji shared details about his past work experience in the red light areas of Kolkata. He expressed his heartfelt commitment to continue assisting in the release/rescue of the thousands of women from Nepal, Bangladesh and India in the future.
The seminar Chairman was professor of Vidya Sagar University, Dr. Swapan Kumar Pramanik. Academic Seminar Chairman was professor of Kolkata University, Dr. Samaresh Bandopadhyay.
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