Seema (Name changed) is a 14 years old girl from a tea garden labour family of Alipurduar District of West Bengal, India. Seema a student of class VIII of a local Hindi medium High School lives with her mother, a tea garden worker, and two younger siblings. Her father, a migrant laborer, worked over 2,200 kilometers away in Kerala. Due to financial hardship, her mother unknowingly sent Seema with a trusted community member, Juli Oraon, who promised a better life and job opportunity in Gangtok, Sikkim.
The timely intervention of SPAN and village youth council helped in ensuring her safe return..
When Youth Council members learned about the incident, they visited her home and collected relevant information. Through community networks, they found and confronted Juli Oraon, who admitted to taking Seema to Sikkim for domestic work. Youth council members immediately intervened and ensured the safe return of the child on Dec 19, 2024 with SPAN’s guidance. This was followed by comprehensive counseling sessions with seema and her mother and raising awareness about the risks of child trafficking.
SPAN provided emotional support and got her reintegrated to school and provided with educational materials. Today, she’s back in class and rediscovering her aspirations as a student and able to dream her future.
SPAN’s inclusive effort with youth led action; community vigilance had been able to play a crucial role in rescuing a child from being trafficked and ensuring child’s safe return.
Seema’s journey from potential trafficking victim to a regular school student is a life-changing impact which highlights one of the achievements of SPAN.
