AP Commission for Child Rights Points to Traffickers Trapping Online Children, Youth
"Every family must remain vigilant. Saving a child or young person from human trafficking means saving a life, protecting a family, and securing the future," the APSCPCR chairperson pointed out.
Vijayawada:Human trafficking is emerging into a technology-driven crime, with crime syndicates exploiting children and youth through online allurements and fake job offers, Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) chairperson Vetukuri A.V.S. Suryanarayana Raju underlined on Thursday.
Speaking at an awareness programme jointly organised by APSCPCR and HELP (Society to Help Entire Lower and Rural People) at the Press Club in Vijayawada to mark the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Suryanarayana Raju warned that trafficking is no longer confined to physical spaces or international borders. It has entered homes through mobile phones, fake overseas employment offers, and online romance.
"Every family must remain vigilant. Saving a child or young person from human trafficking means saving a life, protecting a family, and securing the future," the APSCPCR chairperson pointed out.
He emphasised on digital literacy and cyber safety awareness to prevent trafficking in the digital era. He reiterated the commission’s commitment to safeguarding children's constitutional rights through continuous awareness campaigns, monitoring, and child protection initiatives across the state.
Suryanarayana Raju said APSCPCR's "Bala Samvad" programme enables direct interaction with children, while strengthening child protection systems at the district and village levels. The commission is also working with police, Child Welfare committees, Juvenile Justice boards, District Child Protection Units, educational institutions, and civil society organisations to prevent child trafficking, child labour, child marriages, and sexual offences against children.
On the occasion, APSCPCR and HELP unveiled awareness wall posters on human trafficking.
HELP secretary Nimmaraju Rammohan referred to the recent case in which Andhra Pradesh youth, lured by promises of jobs in Singapore, had been trafficked to Myanmar and forced into cyber scam operations. Calling it a wake-up call, he asked young people to thoroughly investigate overseas job offers before accepting them.