As part of the US initiative against international human trafficking, the country?s state department has pledged $600,000 to anti-trafficking projects in eastern India, with more than two-thirds of the money going to Bengal NGOs.

Speaking on the eve of a trafficking workshop organised by one of the recipients of the grant, Daywalka Foundation, US consul-general Henry V. Jardine said: ?We are working to fight human trafficking with both private and government organisations. I appreciate the government of West Bengal?s cooperation in this transnational fight against human trafficking.?

On being asked if the allocation of funds for the state reflected a pronounced problem, the consul-general clarified: ?West Bengal is not only a source, but also a destination. A city of Calcutta?s size and positioning makes it a regional centre for human trafficking.?

The $600,000 pledge comes shortly after the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime launched a worldwide anti-trafficking project supported by both India and the United States, with the latter committing nearly $8 million to the project.

?We have raised awareness, but a victory in the fight against human trafficking will take some time. We have to be careful to measure success relatively,? the consul general concluded.