Training Law Enforcement in North East India to Combat Human Trafficking
In 1956, India's government passed the immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, which called for law enforcement training to prevent human trafficking. Five decades later, Impulse conducted a needs assessment survey to study the state of human trafficking in the eight North East (NE) states. The study showed that there was little training available to law enforcement officers, and that human trafficking in the NE was a flourishing industry that law enforcement largely ignored. Small, homegrown NGOs like Impulse could not eradicate trafficking in persons (TIP) on their own; law enforcement is a necessary force to end TIP.
To improve law enforcement's response to TIP, Impulse partnered with the North Eastern Police Academy to design and implement effective training courses and materials for officers in the eight NE states. Impulse staff traveled to all state police academies to conduct trainings on TIP prevention; create links between police, local NGOs/CBOs, and government personnel; and collaborate on the design of a training handbook on TIP. By 2007 the handbook was published.
In the four years since Impulse began working with law enforcement, it has trained hundreds of officers throughout the NE states, and its handbook is part of every state law enforcement agency's compulsory training curriculum for officers-in-training. Local NGOs are no longer alone in fighting TIP; Impulse's intervention has led to the creation of a network spanning the eight NE states. Police officers and border security personnel are now aware of TIP, have tools to detect TIP, follow standardized reporting procedures to document TIP, and work through well-defined channels to follow up on TIP-related crimes. Law enforcement regularly partners with civil society organizations on its anti-TIP efforts, so the impacts of police's TIP detection and prosecution are augmented by NGOs/CBOs' prevention and victim rehabilitation activities. Their cognizance has aided in the creation of a digital TIP database to document activity and followup in the NE, which has further strengthened the NE regional network.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Hasina
Last Name
Kharbhih
Website
Organization
Impulse NGO Network
Country
India
Section 2: About Your Organization
Is this initiative/innovation linked to any established organization?
Yes
Organization Name
Impulse NGO Network
Organization Website
Organization Phone
0364 - 2503140
Organization Address
Organization Country
India, ML
Is your organization a
CSO/NGO
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Your idea
Name Your Project
Training Law Enforcement in North East India to Combat Human Trafficking
What stage is your project in?
Operating for 1-5 years
When was the project initiated? or When are you planning to begin?
Training of law enforcement to combat human trafficking began in 2006. Impulse worked with the the North Eastern Police Academy and the North East's eight state police and border security agencies to develop training courses for law enforcement officers. In late 2007, after more than a year of collaboration, Impulse published its Handbook for Law Enforcement on Trafficking in Persons. This handbook serves as a guide for officers to recognize human trafficking activities in their area.
Describe your idea and explain why it is innovative
In 1956, India's government passed the immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, which called for law enforcement training to prevent human trafficking. Five decades later, Impulse conducted a needs assessment survey to study the state of human trafficking in the eight North East (NE) states. The study showed that there was little training available to law enforcement officers, and that human trafficking in the NE was a flourishing industry that law enforcement largely ignored. Small, homegrown NGOs like Impulse could not eradicate trafficking in persons (TIP) on their own; law enforcement is a necessary force to end TIP.
To improve law enforcement's response to TIP, Impulse partnered with the North Eastern Police Academy to design and implement effective training courses and materials for officers in the eight NE states. Impulse staff traveled to all state police academies to conduct trainings on TIP prevention; create links between police, local NGOs/CBOs, and government personnel; and collaborate on the design of a training handbook on TIP. By 2007 the handbook was published.
In the four years since Impulse began working with law enforcement, it has trained hundreds of officers throughout the NE states, and its handbook is part of every state law enforcement agency's compulsory training curriculum for officers-in-training. Local NGOs are no longer alone in fighting TIP; Impulse's intervention has led to the creation of a network spanning the eight NE states. Police officers and border security personnel are now aware of TIP, have tools to detect TIP, follow standardized reporting procedures to document TIP, and work through well-defined channels to follow up on TIP-related crimes. Law enforcement regularly partners with civil society organizations on its anti-TIP efforts, so the impacts of police's TIP detection and prosecution are augmented by NGOs/CBOs' prevention and victim rehabilitation activities. Their cognizance has aided in the creation of a digital TIP database to document activity and followup in the NE, which has further strengthened the NE regional network.
What kind of beneficiaries is your initiative addressed to?
Women, Girls, Youth, Society in general.
Describe the profile of the beneficiaries of this project
Hundreds of law enforcement have been trained, and every police station in NE India is equipped with Impulse's training handbook. The beneficiaries of this expansive project are women and children--the primary victims of human trafficking--as innumerable victims and would-be victims are directly impacted by the law enforcement trainings.
What is your initiative’s implementation strategy?
1. Needs Assessment: Impulse conducted a needs assessment survey during state consultations on rights-based anti-trafficking programming in the eight NE states.
2. Partnership with Law Enforcement: the needs assessment revealed that law enforcement required better training to participate in anti-trafficking programs. Impulse partnered with the North Eastern Police Academy and designed and implemented law enforcement trainings across the eight NE states. State governments, NGOs, and law enforcement were invited to participate in the trainings.
3. Publication and Distribution of the Handbook for Law Enforcement on Trafficking in Persons: Impulse developed this handbook based on its experience in trainings and partnership with the North Eastern Police Academy. It was distributed to all police training academies and is part of officer-in-training curriculum.
4. Impulse continues to conduct trainings and evolve its curriculum as TIP evolves.
In your opinion, what are the main barriers or obstacles in connection with this theme?
Law enforcement have limited resources and infrastructure in NE India. Despite a law requiring that law enforcement be trained in anti-TIP procedures, law enforcement were not equipped to implement effective anti-TIP programs. NGOs were working alone to stop TIP in NE India, but needed the force and power of law enforcement to make a lasting impact. Thus, it was up to NGOs to impart the knowledge necessary for law enforcement to join anti-TIP efforts, which is a non-traditional approach to capacity-building. Impulse's first challenge was finding the funding to develop the resources needed by the state that the state was not providing. Impulse's second challenge was the ingrained cultural normalcy of TIP in NE India. Prostitution is not taboo in NE India, and law enforcement are a large part of sex workers' market because officers are often stationed away from their homes and families for long periods of time. Impulse needed to change not only law enforcement's capacity to detect and stop human trafficking, but also law enforcement's attitude and behavior--again, a non-traditional approach to capacity-building.
What type of partnerships you have or intend to generate strategic alliances with for the development of this initiative? Choose all that apply
State departments or areas, International organizations, Non-Government organizations, Social organizations, Other.
Describe with whom you have generated these alliances and how
Impulse has generated alliances with state departments, non-govermental organizations, social organizations (women and youth; PLWHA; sex workers; etc.), and law enforcement by building a regional anti-TIP network that spans the eight NE states. Impulse accomplished this through years of network-building and outreach. It used its resources to regularly convene these alliance members and include them in their needs assessments, strategic planning, and implementation. Impulse understands that each of these partners has unique information and resources to bring to the network, and that all of their strengths must be utilized together to accomplish the farthest-reaching impacts. Thus, Impulse has worked hard to unite these sectors of society across eight distinct states. Impulse partnered with several branches of the United Nations, an international organization, to bring this alliance together. To undertake the law enforcement trainings and publish the Handbook for Law Enforcement on Trafficking in Persons, Impulse received financial support from the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime).
What are the main results generated and/or expected to generate by means of this initiative?
So far, 215 law enforcement officers, 256 NGO staff, and 60 government personnel (from various government departments) have received direct training during state consultations on rights-based anti-trafficking programming in the eight NE states. Another 450 law enforcement officers from across NE India have received training designed specifically for law enforcement and border security forces. Finally, 10,000 copies of the Handbook for Law Enforcement on Trafficking in Persons has been distributed to police throughout the eight NE states--reaching innumerable law enforcement through local compulsory educational curriculum.
What is the main impact that your initiative might generate?
The main impact is bringing law enforcement into the fight against human trafficking in NE India. Law enforcement is now a full partner and brings additional resources and strength that were beyond the reach of NGOs. The indirect impact is to lessen and eventually stop human trafficking, because law enforcement are better equipped to detect and stop trafficking cases, as well as compile their data in a shared database so all parties can learn more about the opaque industry.
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 | 166 weeks ago Hasina Kharbhih updated this Competition Entry. |
| 167 weeks ago Hasina Kharbhih submitted this idea. |
