Shillong March 9: The Department of English and Communication, MLCU and the final semester post-graduate students of the Department of Counselling Psychology, MLCU along with IMPULSE NGO Network, Shillong and the State Resource Centre for Women, Department of Social Welfare, Govt. of Meghalaya came together to address the issue of Child Trafficking in Meghalaya and Northeast India, in a seminar entitled Voice of the Voiceless in the MLCU hall on March 9, 2018. The objective of the seminar was to enable students of the Department of Counselling Psychology, MLCU to identify ways of providing support through rehabilitation to survivors of child trafficking/ trafficked children by linking it to the field of Counseling Psychology.
Parallel sessions were held to discuss conditions where children can be very vulnerable to being trafficked. The discussions also focussed on the kind of support the counselling psychology students and the social work students can render to the children in areas where they are can be most vulnerable to trafficiking v.i.z. within families where child support is lacking, in the disturbed areas, and in areas where there is a natural disaster. Further discussions were held on how the students can support community and family of stigmatised families especially children, and how counselling psychology can provide support, through rehabilitation, to survivors of trafficked children. Among the participants were students and faculty of Martin Luther Chirstian Univeirsty, Shillong, William Carey University, Shillong, and Women’s College, Shillong.
Speaking in the sessions were Dr Manobi Borooah, Psychologist Birmingham Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Neonatology, Dr Sangeeta Goswami Psychologist & President MIND INDIA, Institute of Positive Mental Health & Research, Dr Sonali Shinde Tesia , Psychologist, Ms Gayatri Choudhury, Secretary, Women Empowerment Centre, Miguel Queah, Founder UTSAH – Universal Team for Social Action & Help, and Dr Neel Konwar, Critical Psychologist on strategy, policy and learning development. The key note address was delivered by Ms Meena Kharkongor, Chairperson, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Government of Meghalaya and Ms Ivyreen Warjri, Mission Director, State Resource Centre for Women, Government of Meghalaya.
While giving the keynote address, Ms Meena Kharkongor said that child trafficking in our region is very common and that so far the government’s lack of priority on this is one of the biggest challenge to curb this crime. She added that even when children are rescued, there is lack of proper rehabilitation where don’t receive proper health care and hardly any mental health care.
“The victims are very vulnerable and they should be treated with utmost care especially with concern to their emotional and mental being, further there should be a proper steps during investigations of such crimes so as not only resulting in rescuing of the children but also in rooting out these trafficking cells from the society,” concluded Ms Kharkongor
The session was concluded by a special address by Ms Hasina Kharbhih, Chair, IMPULSE NGO Network on the Relevance of Child Trafficking with Special Context to the North East.
