Empowering Voices: A Report on the Helpline Tele callers Capacity Building Program 2025

In a significant step toward strengthening support systems for migrant communities in India, Don Bosco for Migrants (DB4M), under the leadership of Fr. Francis Bosco, organized a two-day Capacity Building Program for Migrant Helpline Tele callers on 26th and 27 September 2025 at Provincial House, Odxel, Goa. The program brought together tele callers, social workers, and religious leaders from across the country to enhance their understanding of migrant issues and improve response mechanisms for helpline interventions. The inaugural session began with a prayer led by Fr. Marvin, INP and a welcome address, with the presence of Fr. Clive Telles, Provincial of Goa, adding spiritual depth and institutional support to the gathering. Participants from Salesian provinces, Mumbai, Goa, Kerala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, as well as networks like Jesuits, ICM, MSMHC, the Blessed Sacrament Fathers, and others reflected the national scope of the initiative.

Fr. Francis Bosco, in charge of the Migrants Ministry, delivered the keynote, stressing the importance of helpline distress calls and inviting present to join in the movement of responding to the needs of young internal migrants across India. He outlined the objectives of the program and walked participants through the two-day schedule. His first session offered a comprehensive understanding of migration and migrant vulnerabilities in India, describing the realities of inter- and intra-state informal workers across diverse sectors such as construction, brick kilns, waste picking, sugarcane cutting, coffee and tea plantations, fishing, and forest-based livelihoods. These workers, he emphasized, endure precarious conditions, with constant risks of wage theft, unsafe environments, and lack of social protections.

Prof.  Dr.  Kinshuk Sarkar, Associate Professor at the Goa Institute of Management, who explored labour laws, social security schemes, and migrant worker rights at both source and destination, led the second session. He explained the vulnerabilities of seasonal, circular, and interstate migrants, linking their struggles to systemic wage theft, documentation gaps, and unsafe working conditions. He provided insights into labour market dynamics, differences between organized and unorganized sectors, and the role of welfare boards, trade unions, and social security schemes such as PF and ESI. Using Goa as a case study, he illustrated how the reliance on migrant labour in construction, agriculture, and domestic services often leads to oversupply, wage depression, and exploitation. He discussed the distinctions between minimum wage, fair wage, and living wage, noting that most migrants receive only the legal minimum, if at all. Prof. Sarkar also analised flawed methods of measuring unemployment, which underreport poverty, and emphasized that labour, must never be  reduced to an economic input but must always be treated as a matter of dignity and human rights.

In his practical guidance, Prof. Sarkar detailed steps migrants can take to recover unpaid wages, the importance of wage slips, and timeframes for receiving payments, daily, fortnightly, or monthly. He urged workers to always document their employers and contractors and explained industry-specific regulations for construction sites, factories, and brick kilns. Concluding, he reminded the audience that labour is not about supply and demand equations but about people, dignity, and justice. The day continued with a powerful session by Sr. Rose Paite, who shed light on the plight of domestic workers, particularly North East migrant women in Goa. She stressed the importance of mobilization, registration, and documentation, sharing real-life stories that underscored the urgency of systemic change. Fr. Francis Bosco and Ms. Bhakti from Suraksha, INB, followed with a practical session on filing wage theft complaints, maintaining case records, and preparing helpline reports, reinforcing the role of preparedness and documentation.

The second day of the program focused on the rights of migrant women and children, beginning with an insightful session by Prof. Peter, former Chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), Goa, and Associate Professor at Goa University. He unpacked the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), emphasizing survival, protection, development, and participation as non-negotiable entitlements. Migrant children, he explained, are among the most at risk due to poverty, mobility, identity gaps, and language barriers. He described distressing realities of children growing up in roadside shelters and tarpaulin tents, with no toilets, safe water, or healthcare access, and hospitals refusing treatment without IDs or money. He emphasized the role of Anganwadis, mid-year school admissions, bridge courses, and schemes like One Nation, One Ration Card in ensuring survival and development. Cases of adolescent girls pulled out of schools for sibling care, and children denied safe play spaces due to constant relocation, highlighted systemic failures. Prof. Peter also drew attention to child protection issues, including online exploitation, abuse, and neglect, calling for child protection policies, sensitive rescue operations, and functional grievance redressal mechanisms. Participation rights, he stressed, must be upheld through platforms like the national 1098 child helpline, Special Juvenile Police Units, and Child Welfare Committees empowered to provide care plans and interventions. He concluded with a strong call for collaboration between governments, NGOs, and civil society to ensure migrant children are guaranteed their rights as universal entitlements.

This was followed by a legal session from Ms. Caroline, High Court Advocate, Goa, who explained the role of statutory bodies such as the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), State and District Legal Services Authorities (SLSA/DLSA), and Women’s Commissions in protecting migrant rights. She contextualized migrant realities in Goa, where prejudice persists in derogatory terms like Ghatty, Lamam, and Mamma, and where North East migrants working in spas are misidentified as “Chinese” or “Nepalese.” She explained Goa’s unique history of progressive property laws and the uniform civil code, alongside the principle that ignorance of the law is no excuse. Migrants, she noted, need to be aware of key legal processes such as Zero FIR, panchanama, and the Indian Evidence Act’s safeguards against police confessions being used in court. She also highlighted challenges around bail, where migrants often face discrimination, and the corruption linked to professional sureties. At the same time, she emphasized the availability of free legal aid, pro bono lawyers, and recourse through human rights courts, women’s commissions, and children’s commissions. Her message was clear: migrants are not voiceless—the system provides mechanisms for justice, but awareness and access are critical.

The program concluded with reflections from participants and a call to action by Fr. Francis Bosco, who urged Migrant Desk members to engage actively with government departments, police, and trade unions, respond to helpline calls with empathy, document cases diligently, and collaborate with NGOs to build awareness among migrant workers. He expressed gratitude to the INP Province for hosting the program, Fr. Clive Telles (Provincial of Goa), the Vice Provincial, Fr. Jose Sequira, Fr. Mervin, Fr. Savio, the Blessed Sacrament Fathers, the Bethany Sisters, and the Provincial House for their support in planning and implementing the program.

The Helpline Telecallers Capacity Building Program 2025 was more than a training event; it was a reaffirmation of solidarity with migrant communities. It equipped telecallers not only with knowledge and skills but also with the conviction to be empathetic responders and strong advocates for justice, dignity, and systemic change.