Over 300 citizens participate in the New Delhi edition of the global ‘Walk for Freedom’ to raise awareness about human trafficking

New Delhi : Over 300 citizens from corporates, colleges and NGOs participated in the Walk for Freedom to raise awareness about human trafficking at New Delhi this morning.

The Walk was declared open by Sh. Gaurav Saini, SDM, Defence Colony. Speaking on the occasion, he said, “That he is happy to see so many young faces on a Saturday morning, walking for the cause and these walks should happen more in Delhi”

At the start of the Walk participants in New Delhi and across the nation took a pledge to do everything possible within their means to help end trafficking in their lifetimes. They then walked single file holding placards with information and statistics about human trafficking starting from and returning to DDA park GK1 via public roads in the vicinity. The Walk was a completely silent Walk-in solidarity with voiceless victims of human trafficking.

This was New Delhi’s third year participating in the Walk for Freedom, which was made possible by the coming together of the city’s colleges, corporates and civil society community members, led by NGO Justice Ventures India and The Movement India’s Delhi team. Participating institutions include NGOs, colleges & corporates such as Ashray India, Shiksha Rath, Hansraj college and HDFC Sales Pvt Ltd.

49.6 million people are caught in various forms of modern-day slavery globally, including exploitation for sex, labour, organs, baby selling, forced marriages and domestic servitude, reports the International Labour Organisation (2022). This means that 1 in every 150 people globally are enslaved. Here in India, 8 children were trafficked every day in 2021 according to the Crime in India Report, National Crime Records Bureau (2021). In Delhi, as recently as May 2023, 41 child labourers, hailing from Bihar, Jharkhand or West Bengal, were rescued from toy factories in Azad Market. They were made to work from 9 am till midnight every day, were not provided with adequate food, decent clothing, or shelter, and were made to live in the same confined room. Their rescue was made possible by the joint effort of the Delhi police and a few NGOs.(India Today, DNA India) It is in this context that the Walk for Freedom is being hosted in New Delhi, Delhi.