New Delhi, May 6 (PTI) The RPF and the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation signed an agreement on Friday to battle human trafficking in trains.

Sanjay Chander, DG, RPF had a meeting with Rajni Sibal, CEO of Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF) in presence of Kailash Satyarthi on April 8, 2022 which was followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday.

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"The deliberations were taken forward with signing of MoU today wherein both RPF and AVA (also known as Bachpan Bachao Andolan) pledged to work together to share information, build capacity of RPF personnel and railway employees to work against human trafficking,” said a statement from the Railway ministry.

The two bodies will also work together to increase sensitisation, create awareness, and help each other in identification and detection of cases of human trafficking.

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“A joint action by both stakeholders… will definitely enhance the scale, reach, and effectiveness of ‘Operation AAHT' (Action against Human Trafficking) launched by RPF across the nation,” the statement said.

Railway Protection Force (RPF) is entrusted with the responsibility of security of railway property, passenger area, and passengers.

It has rescued around 50,000 children since 2018 under ‘Operation Nanhe Farishte'.

It has recently launched ‘Operation AAHT' to take strong action against human trafficking through trains and has been rescuing its victims.

It has rescued more than 1,400 minors including 298 minor girls from the clutches of traffickers since the launch of the operation.

RPF has also set up Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) at more than 740 locations across India instructed to take action against human trafficking in coordination of other agencies in this field.

According to the joint statement, BBA would provide technical support to organise training and awareness workshops for RPF personnel across 750 AHTUs and other railway staff working at different stations.

BBA will also provide audio-visual content that could be displayed as video clips or announced as voice messages inside the trains or at railway stations.

The raid and rescue partnership involves training of railway personnel to identify potential victims.

The statement said that RPF would immediately act on the information from BBA and its partners -- cyber cell, state police, and other law enforcement agencies.

Credible information from local people and agencies would also be swiftly pursued and raids conducted, the statement from BBA said.

“We are extremely proud to be associated with the Railway Protection Force and this will go a long way in combatting trafficking of children in our country.

“BBA has rescued more than 10,000 trafficked children during the pandemic, and most were from railway stations. We are committed to support the RPF in future," said Rajni Sekhri Sibal.

Under the partnership, BBA will share intelligence on identified trafficking hubs and offenders to RPF and help the force provide viable leads to its field units with a database of past cases.

"The Indian Railways is the primary transporter for the nation and therefore is a major route for human traffickers for transportation,” the statement said.

"The RPF personnel deployed at railway stations and trains are strategically positioned to intercept the trafficking before the victim reaches the destination and the exploitation starts.

"With its strategic positioning and its pan India reach, RPF can supplement the nation's efforts to curb human trafficking," it added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)