Imphal, October 01 2009: With over 10,000 young people reportedly being trafficked from the North East every year, the issue of human trafficking in the region, including Manipur, has become a serious multi-faceted problem with wide nexus, that calls for pro-active response from all stakeholders concerned in tackling the menace.

In this backdrop, a capacity building programme for journalists in Manipur on their role in addressing the issue has begun from today at Manipur Press Club here.

Supported by United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the two-day long programme is being organised jointly with Impulse NGO Network, a Shillong NGO as the nodal implementing agency, Manipur Press Club as media partner, Ereima Gender Empowerment Resource Centre as State partner and Sustainable Development Centre as the district partner.

Explaining the significance of the programme, billed to be the second of its kind, the first being held in Mizoram recently, Team leader of Impulse NGO Network Hasina Kharbhih pointed out that the issue of human trafficking has become a serious social problem in North East India with over 10,000 young people being trafficked from the region every year.

She attributed the causes to certain inherent vulnerabilities in the region like close proximity to the porous International borders, internal displacement of the people as a consequences of existing ethnic and armed conflict, relatively weak economy that provides few job opportunities to the youth and poor justice delivery system.

It is here that media can play a proactive role, not just in disseminating information relevant to the issues of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of women and children and alerting the masses but also in rescue and re-integration of the victims, she said, while observing that media should, however, be sensitive in its approach to portray the survivors as victims of trafficking rather than to re-victimise and stigmatise them.

Highlighting the initiative taken by the Ereima Gender Empowerment Resource Centre on anti-human trafficking campaign in Manipur, its secretary Jubita Hajarimayum noted that elsewhere in the region, Manipur is also fast becoming the destination of the human traffickers.

Although no proper study has been conducted so far and obtaining accurate number of cases is difficult as human trafficking is an illegal enterprise being carried out in various covert forms with involvement of many, a survey of the news reports published in The Sangai Express (English edition) and Poknapham from January to August, 2009 alone indicated that apart from 12 cases of trafficking, 25 children were rescued from being trafficked outside Manipur on the pretext of providing education, Jubita said.

Speaking on the basic facts about human trafficking and related legal issues, Sushil Huidrom of Centre for People's Concern observed that human trafficking is a crime and it should be dealt with legal power.

However, in India, the main legislation dealing with human trafficking is the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act (IPTA), 1956 which some critics have debated on its relevance in the light of the complexity of the problem today.

He also pointed out that Goa is the only State in India which has passed an Act (Goa Children's Act, 2001) of its own to address issues centering around human trafficking specially children in an integrated manner.

Sharing his experience on unreported cases of human trafficking in Manipur, L Pishak, secretary of Sustainable Development Centre, which is an Impulse District Partner in Manipur noted that traffickers remain scotfree as there is wide nexus.

Insistence on customary laws in resolving cases of human trafficking in the hill districts of Manipur also stood in the way of justice, he added.

Earlier during the programme, as representative of Manipur Press Club, Editor of Ereibak Irengbam Arun spoke on media response to reporting social issues with specific reference to human trafficking.

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