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Imphal, Oct 10 (IANS) Manipur State Commission for Women (MSCW) said here on Friday that Manipur has emerged as a source and transit of human trafficking in the last few years.
MSCW stated that the concept of human trafficking relates to the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or obtaining a person through coercion, fraud or abuse for the purpose of exploitation. Anyone can be a victim of human trafficking.
The most vulnerable people in the context of human trafficking are minority tribes and communities who have little social and legal protection. The women’s panel body said most of the victims of trafficking are girls and women.
In view of the increasing menace of human trafficking, MSCW under the sponsorship of National Commission for Women organized an awareness program on “Anti Human Trafficking” at Jiribam Municipality Hall, Manipur on Friday. Speaking at the event, MSCW President Tiningpham Monsang noted that human trafficking in Manipur is different from human trafficking in any other state.
“Over the years, Manipur has emerged as a source and transit point for human trafficking. The majority of trafficked women reveal that hundreds of victims, especially tribal girls and women with traumatic experiences, are often silenced and ignored with shame and stigma,” she said.
Monsang further noted that the program aims to raise awareness among the women and girls of Jiribam, educate the public to recognize the signs of human trafficking, empower communities to report suspicious activity and promote a collaborative effort to end this form of modern slavery so that they are well-informed about the knowledge of trafficking and can easily combat it.
The awareness program was organized to identify traffickers, raise community awareness, strengthen prevention efforts, strengthen collaboration among stakeholders including government, NGOs, law enforcement agencies, enhance prevention efforts through education and training, and policy advocacy for stronger legal framework and protective measures against traffickers.
During the technical session, four resource persons spoke on various topics. More than 150 participants, including vulnerable populations facing the greatest risks, such as migrants and internally displaced persons, rural and tribal communities, children and youth, law enforcement, health care workers, prosecutors, lawyers, NGOs and social workers, attended the event as participants.
MSCW in collaboration with the district administration also organized a one-day sensitization program on “Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013” at the conference hall of the Deputy Commissioner’s office at Jiribam.
MSCW Chairperson Monsang in her speech highlighted the role of the Commission in ensuring the welfare of women and addressing issues related to their rights and protection.
She said the workplace should be a safe environment for women employees, and urged them to familiarize themselves with the Act, which empowers them and enables them to prevent and address harassment at the workplace.
As part of the programme, a technical session on the topic “Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013” was conducted by Mordecai Kamei, Advocate.
–IANS
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