The recent spate of children going missing from Pilkhana in Howrah has put a blot on Dominique Lapierre’s “City of Joy”. The people, community and the police are all concerned as to how best to take effective measures to curb this burning issue.

Don Bosco Ashalayam thus came forward to organize a community sensitization programme on 30th September 2008 to make the community aware of the issues of child trafficking, how to take preventive measures and how to maintain a good networking with the district police administration.

The sensitization programme began with a rally taken out from Golabari Police Station at around 5:30 pm and ended at Hallman High School in Pilkhana. Children from Ashalayam, Police personnel and community people from Pilkhana and around participated in this rally.

This sensitization programme, held at Hallman High School in Pilkhana from 6 to 7 pm, was inaugurated by Sri Sukesh Kumar Jain, I.P.S. Addl.S.P. (Town) Howrah-the Chief Guest for the Day . Besides him other eminent people like Md. Samim, Shri. Debasish Banerjee-I.C, Golabari Police Station, Fr. C.J.George-Director Don Bosco Ashalayam, Fr. Mathew Parakonath-Director Childline and people from the local community were present.

Fr. C.J. George Director started the programme by welcoming all and spoke that concerted effort was the need of the day to help curb this burning issue. He asked for all GOs and NGOs to come forward and work together to protect the children. Fr. Mathew Parakonath- Director CHILDLINE spoke that child traffickers need not always be outside people but might also be people residing within the community. He called for all to be more vigilant and to take more care of their children thus reducing scope for the traffickers to take a free hand.

Sri Sukesh Kumar Jain-Addl. S.P., (Town), Howrah told all present that the district police authorities were ever ready to extend their full support and had already deployed police personnel in Pilkhana area to keep tabs on the activities there. He again requested the community people to be wary of suspicious activities or strangers and to inform the local police station immediately. He also told the community to use the Childline Toll free telephone number –1098- to inform them about missing and trafficked children.

The days programme ended with a dance recital by girls from Maayer Asha-a Girls Home of Don Bosco Ashalayam in Howrah and a street drama-the theme being on Child Trafficking.