Dated: 6th May, 2024
SIGMA Foundation conducted a study on child trafficking in the North-Eastern states with focus on Assam. The study was commissioned by the North East Diocesan Social Service Society (NEDSSS) with support from Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Based on the findings, a project named ‘Suraksha’ has been conceived by CRS to combat child trafficking in the state, which is being implemented by NEDSSS on a pilot basis in Sorupani Gram Panchayat of Golaghat district of Assam, before the same is scaled up. The project envisages interventions at the levels of the adolescents, their parents, and the community. The expected result of the project is that the vulnerable children in the ages 12-17 years and their families living in the project area will have improved resilience to mitigate the risks of trafficking.
SIGMA Foundation was selected for conducting a baseline study to assess the status of the risk factors of child trafficking, keeping in mind the proposed interventions to mitigate the risk through the Suraksha project. The field work for the assessment, following a mixed method, has been conducted by SIGMA Foundation in the month of January and February 2024.
The final report has been shared with NEDSSS and CRS. The report provides the status of key indicators for the adolescents, their parents/family and the community level. Several recommendations have been made for successful implementation of the pilot project.