PADI Launches Decisive Campaign Against Child Trafficking in Dakshina Kannada
Mangaluru: Marking the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, PADI, a grassroots child rights organisation working in Dakshina Kannada, has launched a decisive campaign against child trafficking as part of the nationwide National Campaign Against Child Trafficking, which was recently launched in New Delhi.
The organisation said it is committed to making Dakshina Kannada safer for children by working closely with the government, district administration, and child welfare stakeholders to prevent trafficking. As part of the campaign, extensive awareness programmes will be conducted across the district, while vulnerable and marginalised families will be identified and linked to government welfare schemes to ensure children remain in school and are protected from trafficking networks. The campaign will also focus on legal action against identified traffickers.
The National Campaign Against Child Trafficking was launched during the four-day national consultation, “Ensuring Child Rights, Potential and Prosperity,” held at the Constitution Club in New Delhi. The consultation brought together representatives from partner organisations across 782 districts under Just Rights for Children (JRC), a nationwide network of more than 250 civil society organisations working to protect children’s rights and make India trafficking-free by 2030.
PADI is a partner organisation of Just Rights for Children, which runs the world’s largest legal intervention programme against crimes committed against children. Through the collective efforts of its partner organisations, 122,516 children were rescued from trafficking across India between April 2023 and December 2025, demonstrating the impact of coordinated legal action and community-based interventions.
Inaugurating the consultation, Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur described child protection as one of the country’s greatest responsibilities and praised the efforts of civil society organisations in rescuing children from exploitation.
“Saving the life of even one child is among the noblest acts. Many young girls fall victim to trafficking and never find their way back home. These children wait for someone to rescue them, and the volunteers of civil society organisations who rescue them from sexual exploitation are nothing short of angels,” she said.
Speaking on the occasion, Renni D’Souza, CEO of PADI, said child trafficking continues to be one of the gravest threats facing children in India.
“It is a tragic reality that, on average, six children are trafficked every day, while five children are forced into labour. Government data shows that 11 children go missing every hour, and a significant proportion of them become victims of trafficking. Human trafficking is the world’s third-largest organised crime after arms and drug trafficking. Women and children remain its primary targets, with traffickers profiting from commercial sexual exploitation and bonded labour. Child labour in the informal sector is among the worst forms of trafficking,” he said.
D’Souza stressed that traffickers are often not strangers but individuals known within local communities who lure children from economically vulnerable families with false promises of employment, education, or a better life before forcing them into sexual exploitation or bonded labour.
“Our focus will be on preventing trafficking, providing legal support to rescued children, and ensuring traffickers are prosecuted. In collaboration with the government and district administration, we will identify vulnerable families and connect them with social protection schemes so that children can continue their education and remain safe from traffickers. At the same time, we will work to ensure that children rescued from trafficking receive comprehensive rehabilitation and are successfully reintegrated into society,” he added.
As part of the initiative, PADI is collaborating with Just Rights for Children, the District Administration, and other civil society organisations to strengthen the child protection system and combat child trafficking in the district. A district-level consultation will be organised soon as part of the campaign.
The CEO of PADI appealed to all stakeholders to become a voice for children and join the movement to create a safer and more protective environment for every child.
