Workshop on human trafficking awareness for Rly police held

Hyderabad: In order to enhance collective efforts in combating the human trafficking, an abhorrent crime, a workshop on anti-human trafficking stakeholder collaboration was conducted by the Railway Protection Force (RPF), in collaboration with BachpanBachaoAndolan (BBA) and Government Railway Police (GRP) aimed to raise awareness about the grave issue.

On this occasion, a booklet on Anti-Human Trafficking was inaugurated which was formulated for utilisation of Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police, emphasising the importance of proactive measures in addressing this societal menace for 60 RPF Anti-Human Trafficking units over South Central Railway and 06 GRP Anti Human Trafficking units.

The workshop was conducted on Tuesday at Sanchalan Bhavan in Secunderabad. The event was graced by the esteemed presence of Mahesh Bhagwat, ADGP/Railways, IG-Principal Chief Security Commissioner, Railway Protection Force, South Central Railway Aroma Singh Thakur, and others were present.

The event highlighted the significant achievements of RPF South Central Railway in combating human trafficking. As per records, in 2022, a total of 46 children were rescued with the arrest of 9 traffickers and in 2023, RPF South Central Railway rescued 507 children and apprehended 184 traffickers, with RPF Secunderabad Division rescuing 317 children and arresting 131 traffickers.

The workshop provided a platform for collaborative discussions and knowledge-sharing among stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of coordinated efforts in combating human trafficking.

The Railway Protection Force had signed an MoU with BachpanBachaoAndolan in 2022 and the present DG/Railway Protection Force, Manoj Yadava recently signed an MoU of RPF with National Commission for Women which will further strengthen the ongoing endeavors of Railway Protection Force in Anti Human Trafficking over Railways

On this occasion, Debashmita C Banerjee, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Secunderabad Division said that RPF, has implemented several measures to achieve this objective, including the deployment of dedicated Anti Human Trafficking units at railway stations, installation of CCTV cameras, and launch of intensive awareness campaigns.

She said “Anti-Human Trafficking Unit booklet is a one stop contact list for all stakeholders of Anti Human Trafficking Operations over SCR. Not only it is designed comprehensively to contain all necessary contact details of RPF & GRP Anti-Human Trafficking Units, District Child Protection Officers of Telangana but also has detailed material on Physical & Behavioral indicators of identification of victims of Human trafficking over Railways, Legal frameworks, Myths & Realities associated with Human Trafficking.”

This will serve as a ready reckoner for all the field formations and Anti Human Trafficking units of Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police Over South-Central Railway working under Operation Action Against Human Trafficking (Operation AAHT).