Students from Chennai colleges battle a global issue 

How Anti-Human Trafficking Clubs set up in colleges help efforts being taken to root out human trafficking

Twenty-two-year-old Abishek B vividly remembers the two instances that forced him to call 1098 in the year 2022.

A student of social work at Thiruthangal Nadar College in Vysarpadi, Abishek was travelling by the local train when two girls under the age of 10 were dancing and singing on the moving locomotive, and then begging for money.

In the other instance, he alerted the Childline helpline about children begging at the Parrys signal.

Abishek, a former member of Anti-Human Trafficking Club (AHTC) is now pursuing law.

Inspired by the Anti-Human Trafficking Clubs (AHTCs) running in other states, many city colleges have taken the lead to form one. The concept of having these clubs at colleges was initiated by PM Nair, retired IPS officer and former nodal officer, Anti-Human Trafficking, National Human Rights Commission.

In the last one year, Indian Community Welfare Organisation (ICWO) and Hanns Seidel Foundation India have helped set up these clubs in more than 100 colleges in the State and a half-a-dozen of them are in Chennai.

“Whenever they see children being abused or violence being incited against women, these students are expected to report it to 1098 ,” says AJ Hariharan, founder-secretary, ICWO. Towards sensitising colleges about the role youngsters can play in this cause, clubs (each comprising 10 students across streams and two faculty members) are formed.