US to grant $600,000 to NGOs

Kolkata, Apr 8: The United States' department of state will grant 600,000 US dollars to the NGOs in West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Meghalaya to combat human trafficking.

Speaking at a programme here yesterday, US Consul General Henry V Jardine said, nearly 4 million people are victims of trafficking annually with 600,000 to 800,000 people being trafficked everyday.

Mr Jardine said, ''Human trafficking is an offence against human dignity and crime as young children are bought, sold and sexually abused.'' US Consulate, along with various NGOs and Calcutta University would organise a two-day workshop on 'National Consultation on Better legal Response to Trafficking.' The workshop would provide a platform to discuss, debate and seek solutions to the challenges faced by the legal community in fighting human trafficking.

UNI