NT Reporter
Panaji
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Keshav Ram Chaurasia has called for collective vigilance, compassion and coordinated action to ensure that no child, woman or human being is exploited, online or offline.
Chaurasia said trafficking today often begins online through social media platforms, gaming applications, fake job portals and messaging services. He was speaking at a rally organised in the city by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, North Goa police, in collaboration with Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) Goa on Saturday to mark National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, observed on January 11.
The rally, themed ‘Exploited online, enslaved offline. Stop digital trafficking,’ focused on the growing misuse of digital platforms for human trafficking. Participants included police personnel, SCAN team members and students from V M Salgaocar College of Law, G R Kare College of Law, and Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts and Science, who performed street plays and raised slogans to raise public awareness about the dangers and realities of human trafficking.
The rally was flagged off by Chaurasia, with Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Varsha Sharma, SP Headquarters Dharmesh Angle and other police officials present. Highlighting the nature of modern trafficking, Chaurasia said, “What may start as a friend request or job offer can lead to forced labour, sexual exploitation, begging rackets or bonded servitude.”
He stressed that prevention begins at home, protection in educational institutions, and awareness within communities. Parents were urged to monitor children’s digital activities, teachers to identify signs of online grooming, and young people to remain vigilant against fraudulent online offers. Chaurasia added that reporting suspicious activities, missing persons, child labour or exploitation is a civic duty, not interference, and appreciated the role of youth, civil society organisations and frontline workers as partners in combating human trafficking.
