Kanchanjunga Uddhar Kendra continues fight against women trafficking

Deep Pradhan, EOI, MIRIK, 6 Feb 2014: Women and child trafficking has become a major issue of concern in the North Bengal region. While Darjeeling, the Terai and Dooars are turning out the hotbed for this crime, Sikkim and neighbouring Nepal have also been hard hit.

Pimps and traffickers may be highly active in this part of the world, but many NGOs and social organisations are also actively fighting against this heinous crime. Among the various organisations Darjeeling-based Marga, Siliguri’s Kanchanjunga Uddhar Kendra and Nepal-based Maiti Nepal are proactively working to curb trafficking and rescue victims.

According to Kanchanjunga Uddhar Kendra (KUK) secretary Rangu Soraiya, people have now become much aware about trafficking compared to a few years ago. She said even though trafficking is still a huge problem, the crime rate has come down over the last three to four years owing to the alertness of the police, social organisations and NGOs.

The KUK rescued more than a dozen women from various red light areas in 2013 alone, informed Soraiya. She added many were saved from the verge of being trafficked, particularly from the Kakarvitta-Panitanki area.

The activist said women get unwittingly lured by traffickers with promises of freeing them from poverty and unemployment, to mention a few. She said the government must create job opportunities in rural areas and make efforts to create a poverty-free society in order to eradicate the crime of human trafficking.

Further, Soraiya noted girls and women should themselves remain alert and aware about traffickers and the crime of human trafficking. She added guardians and society as a whole should remain aware of the crime and make conscious efforts to prevent it.

The KUK secretary also said her organisation is collaborating with various regional social associations and hosting awareness campaigns at schools, colleges, tea gardens and villages. She added a building to house rescued women and girls is presently under construction in Siliguri, but it is yet to get completed due to lack of funds. An appeal has been made for donations to facilitate the construction process.