Kohima, February 19, 2010(NEPS): Concerned over the high rate of trafficking of children from Manipur being frequently exposed in the recent two years, state authorities are discussing proposals for constitution of an Anti-Human Trafficking Cell in the state.

"We have already placed a proposal in this regard with the Director General of Police and we will soon be sitting down together on this matter with the Chief Secretary," confided SK Sharma, Director of the Manipur Social Welfare Department.

"The committee or cell will comprise related departments such as education, labour, rural development, etc., seeing that somehow or the other all these subject areas are crucial factors and there is a need for co-ordination between all these departments if we want to check trafficking," he added.

"Other preemptive and post-trafficking measures that we will be taking up include sensitization at the district and village levels, and sensitization of important stakeholders such as bus and truck drivers.

We have already conducted sensitization workshops for church leaders," he said, adding that the district Child Welfare Committee have been entrusted the responsibility regarding the counselling of both children, their parents as well as the locality to facilitate the social re-integration and rehabilitation of the children.

"We could also use the Anganwadi workers to monitor and give alarm about trafficking cases.

Maybe trafficking issue could be made a part of the training given to them," Mr Sharma acknowledged this morning at the Observation Home for Children at Takyelpat in Imphal West district where 52 children recently rescued from an illegal orphanage in Tamil Nadu were being kept for medical check-up and observation for the last 24 hours.

The children in the age group of 5-15 years and hailing from Namtiram, Npakang, Nniam, Magulong, Mandeu, Npaningdi, Tousem, Aben and Guilong villages in Tamenglong district, were rescued by Tamil Nadu state authorities on January 23 last alongwith with another 22 from Assam from Bethesda Blessing Home being run with authorization by one Shaji of Kaarakonam in Kanyakumari district.

They reached Imphal yesterday and were handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Tamenglong district this morning to be handed over to their parents.

They left Imphal for Tamenglong in two special buses soon after the handing over function.

For some of the children whose parents came all the way to Imphal to see them, it was a happy reunion.

For mother of four, Namte, the excitement of reunion with her eldest son was also tinged with bitterness.

"When I used to enquire, they would tell me that my son has crossed the sixth standard, but when I spoke to my son yesterday, he confided that he studied only till Class IV.

Though poor, as a parent, I wished for my son to get good education and shine in front of the world � be it for the sake of his people, for his country or for God.

I believed in their words, how could they his to someone like me who has to toil the whole day as a labourer in the fields or on the roadside stone quarries for a square meal a day," she ranted.

Namte also added that she has spent around Rs.10,000 of her hard-earned money running around for all the required documents, besides entrusting a huge amount in cash for the upkeep of her son.

According to Bishnupur district CWC member Maharabi who was part of the team that had gone to Chennai to bring home the children, one Paul from Aben village in Tamenglong district had taken altogether 59 children including seven girls on the promise of education to Chennai in 2006.While the 52 boys were rescued from Bethesda Blessing Home, the whereabouts of the seven girls is still unknown.

At Bethesda Blessing Home, the children were being used as manual and construction labourers besides being denied proper food and clothes.

They were also frequently beaten, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Tamenglong district CWC Chairperson Kinderson Pamei lamented that incidents of trafficking of children is not due to the failure of one or two departments or civil society organisations or individuals, rather it is a collective failure and requires a collective effort to rescue children from such cases in the future.

"The basic problem is poverty and ignorance," stated Awangbo Newmai, MLA of Tamei Assembly Constituency in Tamenglong district.

"We are trying our best to solve the problems and improve the living conditions of the people in the district but major factors like the recurrent bamboo flowering in the region for the last ten years has worsened the situation despite our efforts," he admitted.

Khangthuanang Pamei, MLA of Tamenglong Assembly Constituency in Tamenglong district as well as State Social Welfare Commissioner Letkhogin Haokip were also present on the occasion.

Anti-trafficking cell in the offing, someone like me who has to toil the whole day as a labourer in the fields or on the roadside stone quarries for a square meal a day," she ranted.

Namte also added that she has spent around Rs.10,000 of her hard-earned money running around for all the required documents, besides entrusting a huge amount in cash for the upkeep of her son.

According to Bishnupur district CWC member Maharabi who was part of the team that had gone to Chennai to bring home the children, one Paul from Aben village in Tamenglong district had taken altogether 59 children including seven girls on the promise of education to Chennai in 2006.While the 52 boys were rescued from Bethesda Blessing Home, the whereabouts of the seven girls is still unknown.

At Bethesda Blessing Home, the children were being used as manual and construction labourers besides being denied proper food and clothes.

They were also frequently beaten, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Tamenglong district CWC Chairperson Kinderson Pamei lamented that incidents of trafficking of children is not due to the failure of one or two departments or civil society organisations or individuals, rather it is a collective failure and requires a collective effort to rescue children from such cases in the future.

"The basic problem is poverty and ignorance," stated Awangbo Newmai, MLA of Tamei Assembly Constituency in Tamenglong district.

"We are trying our best to solve the problems and improve the living conditions of the people in the district but major factors like the recurrent bamboo flowering in the region for the last ten years has worsened the situation despite our efforts," he admitted.

Khangthuanang Pamei, MLA of Tamenglong Assembly Constituency in Tamenglong district as well as State Social Welfare Commissioner Letkhogin Haokip were also present on the occasion.

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