The Anti-Human Trafficking & Cyber Safety Workshop

On Saturday, 3rd October 2026, the Central Block Smart Room at CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Pune Lavasa Campus, became a vibrant hub of youth advocacy, critical consciousness, and digital empowerment as the Centre for Social Action (CSA), in dedicated collaboration with the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the School of Sciences, hosted the landmark inauguration of the campus Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) Club alongside an intensive Cyber Safety "Train the Trainer" (ToT) Programme. Organized in association with the expert delegation from The Movement India, the session convened an energized cohort of 41 driven student leaders representing diverse academic departments, including Data Science, Business, and Law. Each participant arrived eager to bridge the gap between theoretical social justice and actionable ground-level intervention, stepping up to evolve from passive digital consumers into certified peer mentors, proactive educators, and vigilant community sentinels.

The afternoon proceedings commenced with an illuminating inaugural address delivered by Mr. Earnest D’Costa, Director, and Mrs. Preeti Chatterjee, Head of Educational Partnerships at The Movement India. With profound clarity and grounded empathy, they dismantled conventional myths surrounding modern-day exploitation, illustrating through poignant national case studies and structural trend analyses how deceptive recruitment, systemic poverty, and social marginalization fuel both physical and virtual bondage across the country. A defining milestone of this opening phase was the formal induction of 15 student core leaders, who were badged with official club wristbands and caps, charging them with the responsibility of steering institutional vigilance campaigns, grassroots community interventions, and student-led safe spaces throughout the upcoming academic year.

Transitioning smoothly into the pedagogical core of the afternoon, Ms. Akshadha Shreeram spearheaded a masterful, highly interactive masterclass on cyber risks, digital forensics, and youth online protection. Moving past standard digital hygiene platitudes, her session methodically deconstructed the psychological architectures of digital entrapment, exposing how predators exploit online anonymity, fraudulent freelancing offers, emotional vulnerability, and deceptive social media trust to isolate and groom young people. Through vivid scenario-based exercises and guided group analyses, the 41 participants learned to decipher warning signs, counter manipulation tactics, and audit complex digital privacy architectures across digital networking applications.

Equally vital was the session’s sharp focus on pragmatic crisis intervention and legal redressal. Ms. Akshadha trained the cohort on concrete intervention workflows, detailing the exact reporting procedures on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) and identifying essential institutional lifelines like the cyber fraud helpline 1930 and Childline 1098. 

The intensive four-hour engagement yielded profound takeaways, leaving students with the acute realisation that human trafficking is no longer confined to physical borders; it thrives within algorithmic spaces, making peer-to-peer awareness the single most effective barrier against exploitation. The workshop proved that when students are trained not merely as listeners but as trainers, safety knowledge multiplies exponentially across the entire student body. Armed with specialised e-certificates, actionable curriculum frameworks, and renewed purpose, these 41 freshly minted peer leaders stepped out fully equipped to foster a secure, empathetic, and digitally resilient campus community. The session drew to an inspiring close with a heartfelt vote of thanks, warm acknowledgments of The Movement India team, and a collective commemorative group photograph.