Arunachal: Helping Hands gets Buddha Peace Award
Placement Agency soon to end exploitation of NE girls: Hibu
ITANAGAR- Union Petroleum Minister Rameshwar Teli, Myanmar Ambassador to India Auw Kyaw Aung and his Holiness Mahant Gyaneshwar of Kusinagar conferred Buddha Peace Award-2021 on NGO Helping Hands in recognition of its humanitarian services at a glittering ceremony in Myanmar Embassy at New Delhi on Sunday.
Its president Robin Hibu who received the award said that all lauded services of the NGO and exhorted to continue with greater zeal and the award would strengthen all members’ commitment to help distressed North East people in cities.
Other recipients included noted Bollywood singer Kumar Sanu; Ramesh Thete, IAS; Dr Khalid Shaikh for building largest COVID hospital & Haryana MP-cum-noted social worker Sunitha Duggal.
He showed the trophy during over two-hour weekly virtual meeting of Helping Hands immediately after returning from the ceremony.
The meeting had threadbare discussion that NE people, particularly less educated job hankering young girls, get lured by agents for jobs in private sector in cities, but many of them because of simplicity get victimized, harassed due to their Mongoloid feature and lifestyle.
There are many examples that the employers hardly pay or keep their meager salaries and mobile phones themselves, put them in dungeon, forced them to prostitution to earn handsomely. Such girls become helpless to remain silent even while getting sexually exploited.
Hibu citing examples of rescued victims attributed such inhuman suffering to many factors, including neither state or central Govt agency nor any NGO keep track of such employed girls and their whereabouts.
The employers knowing that they are not under watch and there is none to help them continue with their heinous flesh trade at the cost of the victims lives. Thus, it was decided to set up a Helping Hands Placement Agency soon as a watch dog, Hibu informed.
IT honchos Gaurav Raj Thakur (Assam) and Raurav Vats (Delhi) highlighted the nitty-gritty, including details of job seekers, qualifications, including technical.
When Hibu said that many companies have approached him to recruit from NE region, it was suggested that Helping Hands would coordinate the entire process for the selected one to be employed under its banner after short training on ‘know your cities’, self protection, SOS numbers on emergency etc to ensure their security & safety. Media consultant Pradeep Kumar suggested that Helping Hands should charge fee from the companies for the service.
Moreover, a video showcasing the humanitarian services of Helping Hands, right from rescuing helpless NE people anywhere in India, air transporting of mortal remains of NE people who die in cities to their native places for decent last rites, blood donation, live saving mission during COVID-19 surge in Delhi; a pamphlet of North East Last Journey Fund by Raj Hannan; App on online Helping Hands Shopping Mall developed by Satya Pradhan (Sikkim) and up-gradation of Helping Hands website by Vats and Thakur were shown to receive appreciation from all members.
While Pradeep Kumar suggested that the process for collecting details of NE producers should be entrusted to state in-charge, Hibu nodded but said that Placement Agency and Shopping Mall would be the crux of Helping Hands’ services to NE people. The central Govt would soon grant permission under Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 to receive funds from foreign countries, he added.
“Make the website and all apps unique to maintain Helping Hands’ identity,” said Dr. Andrew Ahoto Sema.
Participating members Jenjum Gadi, Daniel Stone Lyngdoh, Rajesh Narang & Swadheet Chaturvedi gave valuable suggestions. Members Jyoti Zongluzu, Yogchen Lama and Nitin Drall also attended the meeting.
