NEW DELHI: Railway Protection Force (RPF) has taken a cudgel to curb human trafficking in the country through railways in association with Association for Voluntary Action (AVA).
The Association for Voluntary Action, which is also known by the name Bachpan Bachao Andolan, is associated with Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi's Children Foundation. The RPF signed an MoU on Friday to work on the project to end human trafficking through railways in the country, working effectively under railways.
ADG PR (Railway) Rajiv Jain told the media on Friday that more than 50,000 children have been rescued by the RPF under "Operation Nanhe Frishte” from across the country since 2018 working with different stakeholders.
Jain said the RPF has recently also launched a nationwide drive against trafficking, called "Operation AAHT (Action against Human Trafficking)" to take stringent action against human trafficking through rail. Jain said more than 1400 minors, including 298 minor girls, have been rescued recently from the clutches of traffickers under it.
Besides all this, the RPF has also set up Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) at more than 740 locations across India to step up surveillance and act against the human-trafficking in the coordination of other agencies in this field.
Recently, RPF DG Sanjay Chander had discussed MoU with Rajni Sibal- CEO of Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF) in presence of Kailash Satyarthi. Finally, the MoU was signed on Friday. The RPF personnel deployed at railway stations and trains are strategically positioned to intercept the trafficking before the victim reaches the destination and the exploitation starts.
Meanwhile, the RPF sources said that high surveillance and random checks are conducted in trains coming from the northeast sides to Mumbai and other northern and southern states. "Whenever we see children or anyone in suspicious conditions travelling in train, we intercept them”, a senior RPF official said.
The Indian Railway is the primary transporter for the nation and therefore is a major route for human traffickers.
"The RPF personnel are strategically positioned to intercept the trafficking before the victim reaches the destination and the exploitation starts", Jain said, adding that the RPF can supplement the nation’s efforts to curb human trafficking with its pan India strategic positioning and reach.