Women and Child welfare representatives from six Indian States — Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana — signed an Inter-State Declaration of Intent to work in collaboration to combat trafficking in persons.
The first of its kind agreement focusses on joint efforts on intelligence gathering and sharing; legal and witness protection; and rehabilitation and care for survivors. The declaration concluded the two-day Regional Consultation to Combat Human Trafficking, which was hosted by Telangana government in collaboration with non-profits Prajwala and Shakti Vahini. The U. S. Consulates General in Hyderabad and Kolkata supported the conference.
Sunitha Krishnan, founder of Prajwala said that the problem of human trafficking in India is mostly inter-State or intra-State. “The need for cooperation between States in counter trafficking efforts is the need of the hour. This consultation under the able leadership of the Telangana government has paved the way for the best course of action in the Indian context to combat human trafficking,” she said.
