terre des hommes has initiated projects against child trafficking in the Indian state of West Bengal. Due to its proximity to Nepal, Bangladesh and Northeast India, from where the children are exported, West Bengal is the hub of child trafficking in Southern Asia.
terre des hommes supports the Network against Child Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children (ATSEC – Action against Trafficking and Exploitation of Children) in Kolkata. A newsletter links the special organizations and enables regular discussion on the problem of child trafficking. To make work at a political level more effective, a database of all the recorded cases of child trafficking will be created.
Another project has been set up in the Sundarban region. With the help of the locals, the project tackles the causes of migration and trafficking of children in the villages of Patibunia and Shibpur. These causes include widespread poverty and the lack of educational facilities. To correct this situation, seven informal schools will be set up in the villages. Each school will have a library stocked mainly with schoolbooks.
The women in the village will be provided with new opportunities to earn income and will be able to take up loans.
To increase the awareness of child trafficking in the community, workshops will be conducted, which will also help to record cases of child trafficking. In addition to this, young boys and girls will depict the theme in skits; cultural events will be used to inform people.
