Activist Nandita Das at the Friday conference to announce the march. Picture by Pabitra Das

More than 10,000 marchers will congregate at Shahid Minar on Sunday to flag off the South Asian March Against Child Trafficking to combat the mounting problem of human trafficking, especially of children.

More supporters are expected to join in at all the stops during the month-long walk, which will wind through Krishnagar, Berhampore, Siliguri, Kishangunje, Muzaffarpur and Nithari. The march culminates in New Delhi on March 22, after covering a stretch of 2,500 km, touching some of the areas most vulnerable to cross-border trafficking in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

At the news conference on Friday, actress and social activist Nandita Das expressed her support to the movement initiated by the Bachpan Bachao Andolan and backed by several NGOs, including Global March Against Labour, Sanlaap and Apne Aap Women Worldwide. “Child trafficking for forced labour is a hidden issue, with people in the rural areas still ignorant and thus vulnerable to being trafficked for forced labour. There is no regional protocol to prohibit the trafficking of children,” she said.

Ten marchers from Bangladesh and another 10 from Nepal are expected to join in the crusade led by victims of trafficking.

“The prime objective of the march is to spread awareness and sensitise people and policy-makers to prevent child trafficking at all levels. We also demand a law enforcing immediate rehabilitation of victims and prosecution of traffickers,” iterated Kailash Satyarthi, founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan.

The movement focuses not only on trafficking for sexual exploitation but also for other purposes: forced beggary, child labour, organ transplant and child marriage.

Aloka Mitra, chairperson of Women’s Interlink Foundation, said 10 districts in West Bengal had been identified where the problem of child trafficking was most acute. These are North and South 24-Parganas, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Burdwan, Murshidabad, Nadia, the Dinajpurs, Cooch Behar, Malda, Birbhum and Purulia.

Anyone is welcome to join up as a marcher. The various groups involved will provide the meals and night stay.