Kalaburagi : A program marking “World Day Against Human Trafficking” was jointly organized by the District Administration, District Legal Services Authority, Department of Women and Child Development, District Child Protection Unit, Child Helpline 1098/112, District Child Labor Project Society, Railway Department, RPF, GRP, Margadarshi Society, Just Rights for Children, and Don Bosco Society at the AC Waiting Hall of the Central Railway Station.The program was inaugurated by the honorable Sri Srinivas Navale, Member Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, who also released a leaflet on preventing human trafficking.Speaking on the occasion, he stated that the majority of those who fall victim to human trafficking are women and children, who are subjected to exploitation and trafficking. He emphasized that merely the Police Department, Railway Police, and Women and Child Development Department working in isolation is not enough to protect such individuals. He stressed that only when all departments work together in collaboration can human trafficking be curbed.During the event, everyone took an oath: “To protect ourselves and our families from the human trafficking network, to make Karnataka free from human trafficking, to rescue people in distress, and to provide proper justice to victims of trafficking, I dedicate my service. I will make an honest effort to achieve the equality enshrined in the Constitution.”Smt. Manjula V. Patil, District Child Protection Officer, spoke about a special 15-day awareness and protection campaign against human/child trafficking, which was launched at Kalaburagi Railway Station in collaboration with the Railway Department, District Child Protection Unit, Child Helpline 1098/112, Margadarshi Society, and Don Bosco Society. This campaign will reach passengers on trains and at railway stations from Kalaburagi to Ganagapur, Wadi, Solapur, Mantralayam, Bidar, and Tandur, raising awareness and urging people to call Child Helpline 1098/112 if they come across such children.Anand Raj, Director of Margadarshi Society, highlighted the urgent need for human trafficking awareness, noting the increasing instances of women and children being trafficked in various forms. He mentioned that under the “Access to Justice” scheme, this program is being conducted from July 15 to July 30 across 418 districts nationwide, with the partnership of over 250 voluntary organizations, in an effort to control the country’s largest human trafficking network. He stated that this awareness program has been organized in Kalaburagi district for the same purpose.The main guests present were Shivasharanappa, Women Welfare Officer; G.G. Mohan, Station Manager; Sharanappa Halimani, Labor Officer; Father Curiakose, Director of Don Bosco Society; Anurag Gupta and Sunil Kumar of Railway Police Force; GRP Police personnel; and Santosh Kulkarni, Project Director of District Child Labor Project Society.

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