Sewa International with its partners unveils Conference on Human Exploitation and Trafficking for National Awareness (CHETNA)

New Delhi: Sewa International, a global non-profit organization, unveils a two-day conference on human exploitation and trafficking for national awareness, CHETNA. Starting with an inaugural session on 4th March 2022, the online-offline conference is hosted at Hansraj College, University of Delhi.

 

India has the second-largest population, with around 8 million people estimated to be living in some form of modern slavery. In its 75 years of independence, the country has undertaken numerous measures to abolish slavery and human trafficking for strengthening the foundation of the nation. As a special initiative, the 75th year of our independence – 2021-2022 is commemorated as Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav across the country. In furtherance to this, Sewa International’s Conference on Human Exploitation and Trafficking for National Awareness (CHETNA) will encourage a dialogue on contemporary challenges and possible solutions to counter human trafficking. The conference will assess India’s progress in addressing trafficking and chart a roadmap for future collaborative and multilateral interventions.

 

The two-day conference will bring together some of the renowned personalities, including the Member of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Pragna Parande, Chief Executive of Traffik Analysis Hub Neil Giles, National Programme Manager of UNODC Mahdy Hassan, President of Shakti Vahini Ravi Kant, and Principal of West Bengal’s Ananda Chandra College of Commerce Prof. Siddhartha Sarkar, among others. The conference shall also witness representation from survivor leaders Sunita Kar, Khemlal Khaterjee, and Piu Mondal from conference community partner Indian Leadership Forum Against Trafficking (ILFAT) and transgender community leaders Anjali Rimi and Rachana Mudraboyina, ParivarBayArea. The panel of speakers will address some of the crucial issues such as online trafficking, organ trafficking, child marriage, rehabilitation of vulnerable individuals, and the prospective vision of anti-trafficking measures for empowering Azaad India.

 

The conference aims to inspire, educate, and empower individuals to work towards uplifting society, especially the marginalized communities. Sewa International invites academicians, social workers, lawyers, and students to join the thought-enabling sessions.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Nishant Aggarwal, Executive Director at Sewa International, said, “ At Sewa, we’ve always focused on uplifting individuals, communities, and societies as a whole. Over the years, public as well as private entities have been working relentlessly to counter human trafficking in our country. In line with India’s vision of Azaadi, our initiative CHETNA is set to foster freedom from slavery and subjugation for vulnerable communities. Hosting an open discussion platform, our goal is to reach as many people to sow seeds of wisdom and augment the ongoing events to end this crime. By bringing students, social workers, legal professionals, and research scholars together, we intend to encourage a dialogue on the present anti-human trafficking measures. The conference will also address how strategic and collaborative planning can be our strongest weapon against this vicious crime that violates a victim’s dignity. We look forward to raising awareness and countering this crime in India.

Centered around the core ethos of ‘Service Above Self’, Sewa International has been at the forefront of resolving social issues across communities. Their recently inaugurated conference, CHETNA, is proudly hosted in partnership with some of the leading names that have been making strides in the social development segment, such as the Indian Council of Research Sciences and Research (ICSSR), Hansraj College, Parivar Bay Area, Chetana Conscience of Women, Human Rights Defense International (HRDI) and Indian Leadership Forum Against Trafficking (ILFAT).