The book is a collection of well-researched papers presented by erudite scholars at Silver Jubilee Conference of Indian Society of Professional Social Work, in collaboration with Central Board for Workers Education, Ministry of Labour, Government of India. The Conference theme, "Social Issues: Human Trafficking, Rights of Migrant Workers and Their Education" recognized that not all development was good in the public interest, and that collaboration through partnerships was the best option likely to provide for both economic and social development.
The topics discussed in this book are wide ranging. Some of them are of urgent concern at present time, but some that have been pondered over are issues of perennial importance. It seems probably that these perennial questions will continue to be debated so long as mankind survives.
There is a need to redefine the term trafficking and migration of human beings from one state to another. Thousands of human beings are being exploited in various parts of the world, including India. Therefore, it is the duty of civil society to understand the multi-dimensional nature of the problem, the defects of existing law and the gaps in law-enforcement agencies, and find remedial measures.
The articles included in the book throw light on various complicated social issues like protection of workers’ rights, hazardous child workers, prevention and control of human trafficking, domestic violence, reintegration of mentally ill persons into society, drug addiction and discrimination and stigmatization in spouses of AIDS- infected husbands. Besides, the problems related with workers’ education have been studied in depth and valuable suggestions offered to reverse the situation.
The book will be of immense value for the students of sociology, human rights and civil society activists, policymakers in government and non-profit organizations, educationists and media persons in India and around the world.
Manju Mohan Mukherjee is working at the Department of Social Work, Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. He is recognized as one of the leading personalities in India in the field of psychiatric social work. He has visited USA under Council of International Programme at Cleveland. He is recipient of award of Council of International Fellowship and visited Austria as guest speaker in Vienna. He has participated in several conferences in India and abroad. His other publications are Hippies in India and Problems of Disabled People.
V. Parameswaran, Director, Central Board for Workers Education, Ministry of Labour, Govt of India, is M.Sc (Statistics) from the University of Chennai. He started his career as Assistant Professor in Loyala College, Chennai. He joined All India Services in 1980 and served in different Ministries of Govt of India in various capacities. He has carried out a number of evaluation studies on family welfare programmes, impact of workers’ education and other social issues. He has served as chairman and member of several committees and presented numerous papers in national and international conferences.
S.K. Roy is presently, Regional Director Incharge, Central Board for Workers Education, Kolkata. He has done his specialisation in Research Methodology and Statistics. He has presented thematic papers in several national and international conferences. He has carried out a number of evaluation studies on social and economic problems of slum dwellers in three resettlement colonies in Delhi; performance of Left front Government in West Bengal; and impact evaluation on workers’ education, in collaboration with I.S.I., Kolkata.
