VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Feb. 5: When the Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogated the notorious human trafficker Panna Lal Mahto about his networks; he told the agency that not only he but most of the human traffickers expanded networks in districts of Santhal Pargana specially Godda.
Panna Lal Mahto had been taken on five days’ police remand after his arrest in December last year.
But despite sensational disclosures made by Jharkhand’s most wanted human trafficker; the Jharkhand government has not woken up to address the issue.
Godda seems to be the only district of Santhal Pargana that doesn’t have a single protection home for girls. Godda having a total population of around 13.13 lakh has reported some cases of child trafficking.
According to the Supreme Court’s direction, every district must have a sufficient number of protection homes to shelter ‘children in need of care and protection.’
Rishi Kant, a volunteer with Delhi’s NGO Shakti Vahini, is involved in a large number of cases of rescue and rehabilitation of minors of Jharkhand. He said that the shelter home should have been established on a priority basis.
“This demand has been pending for the past many years. Unfortunately, no government took this matter seriously. This is the responsibility of the social welfare department. There are numerous examples of how the lack of such facilities creates serious problems. Protection home is needed to accommodate victims of human trafficking, rape, sexual assault, and child marriage,” said Rishi Kant.
In January 2018, Rishi Kant and his team had rescued a 15-year-old Pahariya girl from Faridabad. The victim, a native of Godda, had been trafficked in 2015 by two human traffickers Prabha and Rohit Muni. She was raped, stabbed, burnt, and beaten up by traffickers and their touts. She died ultimately after being taken to Jharkhand. She died because of the lack of care.
Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, which had taken care of the girl’s treatment after her rescue, had expressed shock over her death. Haryana’s child rights department shot off a hard-hitting letter to the then chief minister Raghubar Das and the alleged victim died due to the carelessness of the concerned district administrations.
After her rescue, she was taken to her family. But her father was a drunkard and her mother deaf-mute they were unable to afford her. She was shifted to a shelter home in Deoghar district where there was none to care for her. She was not only a victim of human trafficking but a prime witness of traffickers.
Congress’ MLA from Mahagama, Deepika Pandey Singh has been raising this matter. “We are doing some child protection activities in our individual capacities in association with Centre for Child Rights (CCR) of NUSRL, Ranchi. Godda urgently requires protection homes. On several occasions, I raised this matter with the government. Human traffickers have moved to Godda hence we must stay prepared to fight against trafficking,” she said.
