The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has called upon government agencies, civil societies and NGOs to coordinate their efforts and step up the fight against human trafficking in an uncompromising, relentless and ceaseless manner. He observed that the war against human trafficking must continue until the last victim was rescued and rehabilitated and the last perpetrator was brought to justice.Addressing the gathering after releasing the Training Manual on Home Management for Homes Meant for Sex Trafficked Victims brought out by Dr. Sunitha Krishnan and her NGO, ‘Prajwala’, in Hyderabad today, the Vice President said that human trafficking was much more than just a social evil and was a violent crime against humanity itself. He suggested translating the Training Manual into local languages for better understanding for the public.‘It is a menace that violates all the basic tenets of human rights, justice, dignity and is often referred to as modern-day slavery,’ he added.Saying that the Fundamental Rights that form the bedrock of the constitution guarantee the undeniable right to freedom and the inalienable right against exploitation and all forms of forced labor, child labor and trafficking to each and every citizen.Opining that every citizen of this country has the right to secure and dignified life, the Vice President said that the constitution places the sacred duty upon each and every citizen to work hard to eradicate human trafficking.“The entire society must unite for this cause.
We must do our best to spread awareness about the nature of this crime and the need to focus on rescue and rehabilitation of survivors,” he added.Shri Naidu also called for encouraging people to help and support the survivors of human trafficking to lead normal lives and re-join mainstream society.Observing that understanding the victim and the impact of trafficking on the survivors was of utmost relevance for all stakeholders providing multiple services to the survivors, the Vice President opined that all the stakeholders must recognize the impact of violence, torture, abuse and exploitation of the survivors’ physical, mental, emotional, financial and spiritual health.Shri Naidu opined that it was of paramount importance that an enabling and supportive eco-system for survivors to heal and lead normal lives was created and they were provided avenues for education, training, and employment to the survivors.‘Special care must be taken in the case of child survivors, for the shock and trauma undergone by them would be immense. They would require a higher degree of care to make a full recovery,” he added.The Vice President said that Safe Homes meant for care and protection face serious challenges in creating an enabling an environment for holistic rehabilitation for survivors coming from such severely abusive conditions.“When survivors are rescued from exploitative situations, and suffer from the serious impact and consequences of such violence – their first and foremost requirement are a safe space and shelter towards their eventual rehabilitation,” he added.In order to give encouragement and supplement the efforts of Prajwala, the Vice President announced his one month's salary to the organization that has been taking care of victims of human trafficking.Earlier, the Vice President inaugurated an exhibition on Human Trafficking.The Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Ms. Debashree Chaudhuri, the Founder of Prajwala NGO, Dr. Sunitha Krishnan and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.