KOLKATA: In West Bengal, Police have promised themselves to go beyond their call of duty to raise funds for women whom they have rescued from sex trafficking and help them back to live a normal life. Says a Police officer spearheading the campaign,” The girls are illiterate and do not have access to bank loans, and government schemes are not enough to sustain them in the long run”. “Though we don’t need to do this, we are still doing it”, he said. The first of its kind scheme began earlier this month when 22 rescued women were singled out for rehabilitation. Police want to reach out to 100 more women and create a model to replicate across the region. Police want to help the women individually asking firms to fund their needs as an act of corporate social responsibility. One such group rescued wants to set up a sewing business. Another woman wants to drive her own taxi, but do not want to return to poverty and unemployment. The project first began in South 24 Parganas district where it has seen a steady rise in crime against women. Police have recorded a jump of more than 80 percent in the number of kidnaps and abductions between 2010 and 2013. A Policeman leading the project said, “I was unaware of human trafficking until I was posted to this region and after coming across the case of a 14-year-old victim, who had been trafficked, abused and dumped in a hospital”. Police say, the programme will go on until the issue is rooted out. Courtesy: Thomson Reuters Foundation]]>
