Child Rights / Just Rights For Children Launches National Campaign Against Child Trafficking

New Delhi, Aug 5: In a landmark initiative, grassroots network ‘Just Rights For Children’ has launched the National Campaign Against Child Trafficking, pledging to transform 1.5 lakh villages into trafficking-free communities and rescue one lakh trafficked children across India within the next year.

The campaign was flagged off during a national consultation on Ensuring a Child’s Rights, Potential, & Prosperity. It marks one of the largest coordinated child protection movements in the country, spanning 36 States and Union Territories, 782 districts, and over 250 partner organisations.

The initiative brings together district administrations, law enforcement agencies, child welfare committees, Panchayati Raj institutions, and civil society groups to identify, rescue, rehabilitate, and reintegrate children trapped in trafficking. Efforts will also focus on prosecuting traffickers, dismantling networks, and strengthening legal interventions to ensure justice for every child.

According to the Crime in India 2024 report, an average of six children are trafficked every day, while five are forced into child labour. Nearly 11 children go missing every hour, many of whom fall prey to trafficking. Globally, human trafficking is the third-largest organised crime after illegal arms and drug trade, with child labour in the informal sector remaining one of its most prevalent forms.

As part of the campaign, extensive awareness programmes will be conducted at the village level through Gram Sabhas, schools, and Panchayats. Pamphlets, posters, and community outreach will educate families about trafficking methods and legal remedies. Special attention will be given to source areas, transit points, and border districts, with community vigilance promoted to identify and report trafficking.

The movement also seeks to strengthen convergence with Central and State government schemes, ensuring vulnerable children remain in school, access social protection benefits, and receive skill development opportunities.
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Founder Bhuwan Ribhu said, “The commitment demonstrated by our Parliament in enacting strong anti-trafficking laws must now be matched by implementation on the ground. Mandatory reporting, time-bound rescue, investigation, trial, and rehabilitation can create a strong deterrent. By ending impunity, we can end child trafficking by 2030.”