Child trafficking, especially among girls, is one of the most intractable problems in areas afflicted with severe poverty. Often, it all starts with child marriages. But, in Sarberia Agarhati, children aged between 14 and 18 years have been able to eliminate this malaise. Trained by the government, they keep a constant watch over all the children in the area and raise the alarm when something is amiss.
In 2015, when the family of 17-year old Tajmira Khatun decided to marry her off, their decision was considered par for the course. Tajmira had five other siblings, the parents were poor and her marriage would reduce the burden on the family’s meagre resources. But, Tajmira’s reaction was anything but par.
But when her family continued to put pressure on her, she reached out to a children’s group called “Ajker Surjya” (Today’s Sun) that worked towards putting an end to child marriages, child labour and child trafficking in Sarberia Agarhati Gram Panchayat area of North 24 Parganas district’s Sandeshkhali. Together, they approached the Gram Panchayat to seek justice. The Panchayat members eventually convinced her parents to give up the idea.
Four years later, Tajmira is now a part of Ajker Surjya and, last month, Sarberia Agarhati became one of the 22 Gram Panchayats (out of a total of 2.5 lakh in the country) to win the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj’s coveted “Child-friendly Panchayat Award” for 2019.
Read more of this in a report by Ravik Bhattacharya and Santanu Chowdhury published on Nov 18, in The Indian Express... (Link given below)
