A one-day awareness programme on anti-human trafficking was held at the Ranka BAC Hall on October 31, organised by the Sikkim State Commission for Women in collaboration with the National Commission for Women. The programme focused on strengthening community vigilance, improving coordination among agencies, and empowering vulnerable groups through awareness, legal support and protection mechanisms. The event brought together senior students of Ranka Senior Secondary School, Self-Help Group members, ASHA workers, NGO representatives, Ward Panchayat leaders, officials from the Block Development Administration, and staff from the GPU and One-Stop Centre, Gangtok. The broad participation reflected the shared responsibility required to combat trafficking and safeguard communities.
Chairperson of the Sikkim State Commission for Women, Smt. Tan Doma Bhutia, while addressing participants, emphasised the need for such initiatives to build informed communities capable of identifying and reporting trafficking cases. She highlighted State Government welfare schemes such as Ama and Bhaini and underlined the roles played by the National Commission for Women and State Women Commissions in protecting women’s rights and dignity. Bhutia encouraged attendees to actively participate, share concerns and become frontline advocates against trafficking. During the session, Advocate Smt. Zola Megi explained key legal provisions related to human trafficking and spoke on emerging digital threats. She warned about misuse of social media platforms by traffickers and called for increased digital literacy and vigilance to prevent exploitation online. Deputy Superintendent of Police Smt. Cheezom Lepcha detailed the functioning of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, sharing recent cases from the state. She stressed community cooperation, tenant verification by landlords, awareness in schools, and the need to guard against cyber-enabled recruitment fraud and fake job agents. She also highlighted the roles of the CID and Crime Branch in handling trafficking-related matters.
CWC Member Smt. Monika Rai outlined child protection mechanisms, including procedures for handling cases of child labour, missing children and minors in need of care. She discussed counselling, shelter services, sponsorship schemes, cyber safety, and awareness on good touch and bad touch. She urged the public to promptly report any child-related concerns and reminded them of the Child Helpline 1098 for immediate assistance. The programme also included a Q&A session where participants shared concerns and sought clarifications. Commission Members including Smt. Ranmaya Tamang, Smt. Rupa Manger, Smt. Tashi Doma Tamang, Mrs. Sagun Rai, Smt. Parvati Acharya, Smt. Devika Bista and Member Secretary Smt. Yousa Lachenpa attended the event.