Workshops for women

TT, Siliguri, Feb.7: The department of lifelong learning and extension at the North Bengal University has launched a series of workshops for women in tea gardens to apprise them of human trafficking.

According to Md. Yasin, the head of the department, women in tea gardens are vulnerable to trafficking.

"Women in tea gardens have been victims of trafficking since ages because of poverty and lack of awareness of traffickers. So, we have been holding a series of workshops in different tea gardens and villages of north Bengal to alert women to trafficking and the tricks adopted to lure women," said Yasin.

The first such programme was conducted from February 2 to 4 at Malbazar in association with the Sashastra Seema Bal and the Dooars Express Mail, a local NGO.

"Around 130 women took part in the programme and most of them were from tea gardens in the area. The experts told them about the ways to check human trafficking," he said.

Yasin added: "Women were encouraged to become members of self-help groups and engage in occupations like weaving, tailoring and making of handicrafts to sustain their families. Other topics in the workshop were domestic violence, rights of women and proper nutrition for mother and child."