Kochi: Rani Hong who founded the Tronie Foundation said that there are lots to be done to curb human trafficking and child labour in India. Receiving the Vanitha Woman of the Year award, Rani noted that it was the most unique moment in her life, even though she doesn’t speak the language of her home country as she was abducted as a young girl and trafficked out to work as a slave.
It was with tears in her eyes that Rani Hong, a Malayali woman, who has become the voice of the victims of human trafficking, shared her life story. Rani Hong was a regular seven-year-old girl, living with her parents and brother in Kochi, until human traffickers abducted her about four decades ago. She was later trafficked into Canada to be put up for illegal adoption.
Twenty one years later, in 1999, Rani visited the country of her birth and met her mother. She says that creating social awareness about human trafficking is the most effective way to fight this menace. “We should make our politicians, social and education workers and human rights activists aware about it,” said Rani.
The activist revealed that migrating for educational purposes too could end up as traps of human trafficking. Rani suggested that an effort to fight human trafficking should be initiated from this year’s International Women’s Day onwards.
Actress-director Nandita Das, who presented the award, said that she could realize the pain and hardships that Rani had gone through as a seven-year-old girl. The film maker added that Rani’s life was truly an inspiration for all. Nandita noted that there are lots to be learned from the inspirational life story of Rani Hong and that the award instituted by Vanitha, to honour women of exceptional strength, was a significant one in the age where awards have become meaningless.
Malayala Manorama chief resident editor Harsha Mathew, CIAL MD VJ Kurian and Vanitha editor-in-charge M Madhuchandran spoke at the event.
