Fondazione L’Albero della Vita (FADV), in collaboration with its partners, Sanlaap and DSWS, organized dissemination meet, on 28th March 2017, at Kolkata, to share experiences on the anti-trafficking initiative named Step against Trafficking.
The project has been implemented in the trafficking prone areas of Hingalganj, Hasnabad, Swarupnagar and Bashirhat-1 blocks of North 24 Parganas District. The initiative focused on a convergent mode of strengthening the community-based child safety net through a preventive approach.
The dissemination workshop was held on the occasion of the closure of the project, to share the experience of the initiative captured through process documentation, named “Collaborating for Change”. The book portrays the major successes and challenges which will be beneficial while the implementation of similar projects.
Dr. Shashi Panja, Honourable Minister of State, Health and Family Welfare and Woman and Child Development and Social Welfare, graced the occasion and launched the book “Collaborating for Change”. In her speech, Dr. Shashi Panja provided a perspective of the West Bengal Government on the issue of trafficking and highlighted the importance of working on the same.
Other eminent speakers in the meet include Mr. Damiano Francovigh, Consul General of Italy; Mr. Supriyo Sarkar, Deputy Director, Department of Child Rights and Trafficking, Government of West Bengal; Mrs. Moumita Bhattacharya, Registrar cum Deputy Secretary, State Legal Services Authority, West Bengal; Mrs. Bipasha Roy, Lawyer cum former JJB Member; Mr. Antonio Bancora , FADV Head of International Unit; Mr. Debnarayan Bej, FADV Asia Regional Coordinator; Mr. Manabendranath Mondal, Executive Director, SLARTC. They provided a perspective on the legal enforcement agencies, highlights on the recent amendments of JJ Act, 2016, highlights of WB State Plan of Action for preventing and combating Human trafficking of women and children, and scope of convergence of child-friendly services, schemes and key provisions for survivors of trafficking.
Representatives from UNICEF, various INGOS, NGO, CSOs, Universities, and children from the community were present during the occasion, who also shared their experiences and opinions.