Erode: Workshop aims at creating awareness on human trafficking

A workshop that aimed at creating awareness among panchayat and community leaders on human trafficking and preventing it was conducted here on Wednesday.

Organised by an NGO, The Rights Education and Development Centre (READ), with support from the U.S. Consulate General Chennai, the awareness building workshop, “Frontline Defenders Against Trafficking in Persons in Tamil Nadu: Building Capacity of Community Leaders”, was the first of four workshops for panchayat, community, women, and youth leaders that the U.S. Consulate General Chennai will support this year. 

The remaining three workshops will be held in Thanjavur, Tiruchi and Tiruppur in the coming months. Participants of all the workshops will be drawn from the ten districts in the State which READ Director R. Karuppasamy report to have a higher prevalence of human trafficking incidents.

The workshop aims at building the participants’ awareness on human trafficking, their capacity to identify at-risk and vulnerable populations in their districts to prevent it, and their ability to work closely with judicial, law enforcement, and governmental agencies to rescue and rehabilitate victims. Around 40 participants attended the workshop that was inaugurated by Gopinath, Sub-Judge, District Legal Service Authority, Erode.

Mr. Karuppasamy said the workshop would strengthen READ’s ongoing efforts to prevent and eradicate human trafficking in the State and added that, “Our aim is to enable panchayat, community, and youth leaders to be the frontline defenders against human trafficking”.