Time to Make a Change

International Human Rights Day is observed on 10th December every year. On this day we urge you to take note of Human Trafficking, a global problem and to do your bit in addressing it. 

The United Nations defines Human trafficking as, ‘the recruitment, transport, transfer, harboring or receipt of a person by such means as threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation.’ The definition of trafficking consists of three core elements: the action of trafficking, the means of trafficking and last of all, the purpose of trafficking which is always exploitation. 

“Human trafficking is a process of enslaving people, coercing them into a situation with no way out, and exploiting them. People can be trafficked for many different forms of exploitation such as prostitution, forced labour, forced begging, forced criminality, domestic servitude, forced marriage, and even forced organ removal. We need to join hands to fight against this modern-day slavery and to save victims of human trafficking.” Vineet J Mehra, Founder & MD DOT. 

just 8 years old, is one of 40,000 children working daily in the mines of the Democratic 

In Kashmir thousands of young women in their teens were sold by their parents to older men, and are now living lives governed by restrictions which a lot of people equate to imprisonment. In the United Kingdom, a Vietnamese lady was a victim of forced organ removal whilst recently in Bangladesh a 17-year-old girl was victimized by people who wanted to lure her into prostitution, but luckily, she managed to escape. In Bangladesh again, impoverished children are working long hours in violation of that country's labor laws. Children under the age of 14 who have given up school for jobs are toiling an average 64 hours a week, according to a British think tank.

The Global Sustainability Network, focuses on Goal 8 (sustainable economic development), of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is a positive and meticulous plan for progress around the globe.

Raza Jafar the Founder of (GSN)Global Sustainability Network, speaking about the platform stated, “GSN (Global Sustainability Network) was founded to ensure that we build a collaborative platform to bring together all the people, who are working on finding a solution to ending modern day slavery which includes human trafficking, bonded labour, organ trafficking and other forms of slavery.”  

He further added that countries and states should start focusing on providing livelihood to trafficked victims after they are rescued. “once you take people out of slavery and do not provide them with work opportunities, the chances are that they will go back into slavery”. He believes, people should become conscious of their consumption and should make sure that the products they consume are not associated with any form of slavery. 

It is imperative that each one of us is aware of these issues and works towards addressing them so we can walk ahead and leave behind a positive footprint.