Save The Children, WATConsult & Snapdeal partner to highlight child trafficking

Human Trafficking has been dubbed as the third largest crime in the world and India is no stranger to this unfortunate practice. This International Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Save The Children has entered into a partnership with WATConsult, the digital and social media agency from Dentsu Aegis Network India, and Snapdeal to create awareness about the problem of child trafficking in India. The companies launched a campaign titled #KidsNotForSale campaign to curb child trafficking.

The companies launched a teaser campaign portraying an ‘Amazing Kids Sale’ on Snapdeal which leads to a hard hitting campaign that highlights stories of children who are sold for prostitution, kidnapped at birth, made to work in unhealthy conditions, drugged for organ trafficking, or forced to become combatants.

The campaign pointed out that an estimated 7 children go missing every hour. Half of them, are never able to return home. Between 2016 and 2017 alone, nearly 1 lakh children went missing. The conviction rate of these criminals was a dismal 22.7% in 2016. The Government of India has taken a pioneering step forward by tabling India’s first Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 in the Parliament. While stringent laws are critical to protect the most vulnerable children, the measures must address rehabilitation of survivors. The #KidsNotForSale campaign aims to urge the government to consider recommendations for not just comprehensive prevention but also rehabilitation, and monitoring and coordination mechanisms that will strengthen the power of the bill.