A media training workshop was conducted by the British Deputy High Commission Kolkata in partnership with Media Skills Lab, News Sense, and the Dearah Association for Social and Humanitarian Action (ASHA).

The topic was Leveraging media to empower anti-human trafficking networks.

The opening remarks at the event were delivered by Snehasis Sur, President of Press Club Kolkata.

The workshop highlighted aspects like reporting on trafficking, the different legal and human rights issues involved, treatment of the victims, the privacy and welfare of the victims, and how to make the readers informed about their role in combating trafficking.

There were three technical sessions conducted.

The first was on the Challenges of reporting on human trafficking cases. The speakers at the session were Kamalika Sengupta, CNNNews 18, Moupia Nandy, Kolkata TV and Sumita Jaiswal, Dainik Jagran.

The second session was on the Legal aspects of reporting on human trafficking cases and how NGOs, media, and law enforcement can work together to combat trafficking. The speakers at the session were Dr. Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan, Professor, West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, Arjun Chatterjee, PhD Scholar, Hong Kong Baptist University, and Sirajul Islam, Jabala Action Research Organization.

The third session was on Solution journalism and combating online and social media traps. The speaker at the session was Joydeep Dasgupta, News Sense/Media Skills Lab.

Some of the do’s and don’ts for journalists reporting on human trafficking were highlighted by the speakers in the different sessions. They were:

• Do not ask for the contact details of the victims or the survivors.
• One should be respectful towards victims or survivors who do not wish to speak about it.
• One must obtain consent before recording an interview or doing a story.
• One must be transparent from the start.
• One must question and never grill the interviewee.
• Maintain your humane side during the interaction.
• One must never give out the names and identities of the victims or the survivors.
• Offer water to the victim or survivor before beginning the interview.

The workshop was attended by journalists from West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand. Students and representatives from NGOs and legal experts also graced the workshop.

Priyanka Dutta