'Walk for Freedom' on the streets of Delhi raise awareness about human trafficking

College students and volunteers walked on the road with placards

Delhi: Over 300 citizens from Delhi's colleges, government bodies and NGOs today participated in the global 'Walk for Freedom' to raise awareness about human trafficking. The silent walk, which was a show of solidarity with the silent victims of human trafficking, was led by The Movement India and NGO Justice Ventures India. Prominent institutions that participated were Hansraj College, Deshbandhu College, Miranda House, Dyal Singh and Ambedkar College.

The Walk was declared open by Chief Guest Kiran Sethi, Sub-Inspector Kamla Market Police Station and SHO CL Meena. Speaking on the occasion, Mrs Sethi said, “The initiatives we are taking against human trafficking as a collective of citizens, police and NGOs is how we will see human trafficking come to an end in our community. 

At the start of the walk, participants were educated about the signs of human trafficking and the national helpline numbers to call if they notice a suspicious situation, such as 1098 (Childline helpline for children in distress), 181 (National Police Helpline for women), and 112 (National Emergency Response). Participants saved these numbers in their phones, and also took a pledge to become vigilant citizens who take proactive action to help end human trafficking within their community. Participants then walked, starting from and returning to Kamla Market Police station, via public roads in the vicinity. 

'Walk for Freedom' is a global coordinated effort to end human trafficking, held in 50+ countries and 500+ locations around the world. During this, citizens walk on the street carrying placards explaining the reality of human trafficking.

Globally, the 'Walk for Freedom' is hosted by A21, an international NGO fighting against modern-day slavery. The national organiser for the Walks in India is The Movement India, a social-impact team based in Mumbai, focusing on large-scale public advocacy to prevent human trafficking. This year, the Walk took place in 100+ locations across 14 States in India, drawing over 30,000 participants.

According to the International Labour Organisation (2023) report, 49.6 million people globally are trapped in various forms of modern slavery. These include sexual exploitation, labour, exploitation for organs, child selling, forced marriage and domestic slavery. This means that 1 in every 150 people globally is enslaved. According to the Crime in India Report, National Crime Records Bureau (2023), 7 children were trafficked every day in India in 2022. 128 children went missing every day in 2022, and in almost half of the human trafficking cases reported in 2022, the victims were children.