The General Secretary of the Church of North India, Rev. Dr Enos Das Pradhan, has called for the support of the Uniting Church in Australia in combating the shocking crimes of sex trafficking and child labour in north-east India.
UnitingWorld is responding to their call by launching a national appeal, Close the Door on Sex Trafficking and Child Labour, to support the Church of North India’s Anti-Trafficking program.
Dr Pradhan said, “We are not along in this struggle. We know that our friends overseas and in this country stand with us.
“I appeal to the members of the Uniting Church in Australia to support this Anti- Trafficking program.”
The program, which operates in partnership between UnitingWorld and the Church of North India, aims to protect children in the Eastern Himalayas region from becoming victims of trafficking and rehabilitating survivors.
Community education initiatives aim to increase awareness of the potential dangers that communities face, and vocational training programs help to provide income opportunities for local communities.
The program also aims to rescue children who have been tricked into trafficking by operating an emergency call centre to assist victims in obtaining legal advice and other assistance.
Survivors of trafficking also receive counselling, protection and support to assist them in rebuilding their lives.
Human trafficking today affects more than 12.6 million children in India. More than 28 percent of people in India live in poverty. The large numbers of people moving through the Eastern Himalayas region in India, which shares borders with Bhutan, Burma, Nepal, Burma, Bangladesh and China, means that children in this region are particularly vulnerable to this crime.
Many of the children who are tricked at the offer of well-paid and stable employment are forced to work as prostitutes. Today, there are currently 2.8 million sex workers in India, 35 percent of which enter the trade before the age of 18. Approximately 40 percent of prostitutes in brothels in major Indian cities are Nepalese.
Please consider donating to this appeal to support victims and survivors of human trafficking in northeast India.
Online www.unitingworld.org.au/donate
Call 1800 000 331
Mail UnitingWorld, Reply Paid A2266, South Sydney NSW 1235
Please note that gifts to this appeal are not tax deductible.
Click here to download an electronic file of the full brochure detailing this appeal
Click here for more information about this appeal and the Anti-Trafficking program
Tags: India
