Deadline Set To Bring Back Rescued Children WAD lines up series of agitation
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 25, 2013:
The Women Action for Development (WAD) has lined up a series of agitation apart from drafting memoranda for submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking, the Prime Minister of the India and the Home Minister of India in case children rescued from two illegal children homes of Jaipur are not brought to Manipur by March 27. Speaking to media persons at their Palace Compound office today, WAD (Imphal West) volunteer Chandrakala said that there were strong suspicion of the rescued children abused sexually.
It is feared that mental and physical health of the children are not in good shape.
Moreover, all the children have forgotten their mother tongue.
The State Government should make necessary arrangements to bring back the children to Manipur by March 27 and rehabilitate them properly, Chandrakala urged.
It is doubtful that the rescued children are safe in a children home run by the Government of Rajasthan despite the State Government's claim to the same effect.
The children cannot be said to be safe until they are brought to Manipur, Chandrakala asserted.
Even as every one is aware about the presence of groups engaged in human/child trafficking, the State Government has not taken up a single step to check human trafficking in the State.
No one pulled up in connection with human trafficking has been punished according to law so far, she decried.
There have been many instances where Manipuri children were rescued from illegal children homes located in different parts of the country.
There were reports of rescuing five children from such illegal children homes in 2007, 12 children in 2008, 41 children in 2009, 169 in 2010, 55 in 2011 and 81 in 2012 .
For the running year, 30 children have been rescued so far.
In the face of these continuous cases of child trafficking, the State Government's initiative to check human trafficking is nothing but a big disappointment, Chandrakala remarked.
WAD (Chandel) volunteer Khamoinung questioned how these human trafficking agents evaded the numerous police check-points spread across the State.
One clear anomaly of the successful operation of human trafficking agents despite presence of numerous police check-points is that the Government is not serious on the issue of human trafficking.
Inability of the rescued children to speak their own mother tongues indicated they were taken outside the State when they were just one or two years old.
WAD general secretary Subita Mangshatabam observed that the State Government need to conduct a survey on the number of children who have been victimised by the practice of human trafficking.
Although the Government leaders have been shouting time and again that children are future pillars of the nation, the State Government seems to be least concerned with the welfare of children.
Even though many children have been rescued, the Government has done very little for their rehabilitation.
Questioning if the State Government has no capacity to bring back the rescued children from Jaipur, Subita volunteered to bring back the children with money collected from public.
Appealing to all church Pastors to take leading roles in checking the practice of child trafficking from Manipur, Subita urged the Police Department to take up special measures in order to check crime against women and children during Yaoshang festival.