Mukti Caravan campaign launched to make Kumbh child-friendly festival

Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF) and the Mayor of Prayagraj jointly launched Mukti Caravan with the aim of making Kumbh a child-friendly festival.

Mukti Caravan is a grassroots campaign on wheels to free children from all forms of exploitation.

Talking about it, Bidhan Chandra Singh, Executive Director, KSCF said: "It is part of a nationwide campaign. It will mobilise people on issues of child trafficking and child labour. The aim of Mukti Caravan here is to make the religious gathering a Child-Friendly Kumbh (Bal Mitra Kumbh)."

He further added that the campaign had been re-launched in Prayagraj with the aim of making people aware of the preventive measures already in place to fight child trafficking, child labour and child abuse.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mayor of Prayagraj who flagged off the event said: "KSCF has launched Mukti Caravan to spread awareness on the issues of safety of children. Due to such a large gathering at Kumbh, there are fears of thousands of children getting separated from their parents and landing in the hands of traffickers. The Mukti Caravan will be extending a security cover to such vulnerable children. It will also curb the inter-state trafficking of children."

The campaign is part of the nationwide movement of the Foundation and aims to generate awareness among masses on issues of child trafficking, child abuse and child labour.

The campaign which has already been implemented in Bihar and Jharkhand will now be replicated in Prayagraj along with the support of the district administration.

The volunteers associated with KSCF will be running a campaign in the Mela premises and in the city of Prayagraj this year with the help of wall posters, banners, folk songs and camps to spread awareness about safety and education of children. KSCF will be making running these activities to help the authorities in making Kumbh, a child-friendly Mela.

The awareness campaigns will ensure that people are extra cautious of the exploitative forces that pose a threat to children and be proactive in reporting any such suspicious activities.