With the intent to end all forms of human trafficking, over 2,500 survivors have come together to form the Indian Leadership Forum Against Trafficking (ILFAT). These survivors have fought different forms of trafficking — forced and bonded labour, sex trafficking, begging, being child brides, domestic servitude, forced to work in brick kilns and bangle factories. They have joined forces to develop a coordinated strategy for bringing significant change at the national level through policy change, education and empowerment.
The survivors who hail from different collectives have a common mission, to combat human trafficking and improve access to justice for those who have been trafficked. During the initial consultative meetings between the survivors from different parts of India, four key areas, which required immediate advocacy efforts, were identified. They are: victim compensation for trafficked survivors, mental health aid, punishment to the perpetrator and breaking the stigma faced by survivors.
Demands
ILFAT also demanded that the new anti-trafficking Bill lay down provisions to ensure the re-integration of survivors in the community. It demanded that the government and all stakeholders work together to define and construct a robust victim-centric system for compensation. The government should make provisions for the survivors to get government jobs. The Bill, the collective said, needed to have guidelines and policies in place across administrative levels that can help survivors to hold duty-bearers accountable, while maintaining their safety, said a press release here.
To join ILFAT and advocate for implementation of strong anti-trafficking laws, you can visit www.ilfat.org or write to info@ilfat.org .
