[Reader-list] Workshop tourism! In the name of poor kids

[PREETU NAIR]

Workshop tourism! 
 
By Preetu Nair  
preetu_nair at gomantaktimes.com
 
PANJIM:

FIRST THE FIGURES: Nearly 12 workshops on women and
child trafficking in three months. In other words,
every month there are at least four workshops on
trafficking of children. Besides, two training
programmes to sensitise the police has been held at
Police headquarters, Panjim. In September three more
consultations on trafficking have already been
announced.
 
NOW THE FACT: These workshops and conferences are
increasingly becoming more about “building
partnerships” and less about children or trafficked
victims. Check out what is happening in the child
friendly state, even as activists are busy formulating
new “drafts of conduct” and “mainstreaming child
rights”. This is just the tip of an iceberg.
 
•	The trafficked victims of Baina are still awaiting
rehabilitation.
•	A minor girl from Mohana, Orissa is trafficked to
Goa and employed as a domestic help at a Public
Prosecutor’s (PP) house in Margao. She is rescued from
the PP’s house (cupboard to be precise) and sent to
Apna Ghar. But no action is taken against the PP,
though he is a government employee.
•	The state government gives an in-country adoption
license to Preet Mandir and the child activists hardly
react. Finally, media activism forces state government
to suspend license.
 
This is a clear indicator that somewhere, something
has gone wrong. “Training, legislation and
sensitisation programmes are important. At the moment
there is an overdose of consultations on the same
subject. Moreover, reaching out to victims and
providing services to them is far more important,”
explains Arun Pandey, ARZ.
  
Audrey Pinto, CRG, argues, “It helps to sensitise to a
certain extent. There is an awareness created through
these conferences and workshops.” But Bernie D'Souza,
Jan Ugahi, calls this “Workshop Tourism”, where
expenditures, energies and time spent far outweigh the
real benefits to the children or other target groups.
 
The greatest irony is that majority of these meets are
in five-star or three star resorts, where delegates
sitting in AC rooms talk about poverty and trafficked
victims. Incidentally, the amount spent on one cup of
coffee in a five star resort can actually feed a child
for two days. However, Sujay Pati from WISE, which has
maximum number of meetings at five-star resorts
argues, “What you are saying is ethically correct, but
it is just not logical as we work with the hotel
industry and holding meetings at five star resorts is
a matter of convenience.”
 
Sources reveal that there is a sudden focus on
trafficking in Goa because 3 million dollars has been
sanctioned for Goa by UNIFEM. However, Archana Tamang,
Chief, Women's Human Rights and Human Security Unit
rubbished it. “We have a small budget and have been
trying to make optimum use of it by leveraging broad
bases. Perhaps this is the reason why it looks like as
though we have spent a lot of money in Goa,” said
Tamang.
 
She added, “The figure sources have quoted is almost 5
times greater than our Goa Program budget”.
 
 
FLURRY OF WORKSHOPS 

SINCE JUNE 2006: 12 + two training programme to
sensitise police
TOPIC OF DISCUSSION: Trafficking of women and children
and child rights
NGO’S ORGANSING IT: WISE, CRG, Sangath, Shaktivahini
(Delhi based NGO), Bagla Natak and Childline.


 (Article appeared in GT on Friday, September 1, 2006)



__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com