Manual for Training Police on Anti Human Trafficking

<strong>Manual</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Training</strong> <strong>Police</strong> on Anti Human Trafficking 60
EXERCISE
‘Restraint’ during Communication
Estimated time : 10 mins
Materials : No materials required
Methodology : A game ‘close your eyes’
Expected outcome : At the end of the game, participants would be exposed to some simple
problems faced in exercising restraint in communication
1)
Activity
Ask your participants to close their eyes.
2) They have to say A-Z, taking turns to call out the letters in order.
3) The only condition being only one person can speak at a time without looking at each other and
all of them must have their eyes closed at all times during the game.
4) If two people call out a letter simultaneously, the game begins from the start with the letter ‘A’.
5) Thus e.g. any one person can say ‘A’ and then another participant says ‘B’ and then another says
‘C’ and so on... with their eyes closed during the entire activity.
Note to the facilitator
Note that invariably when the participants are not able to see who is speaking, two or more
people tend to call out the letters simultaneously. Typically people wait <strong>for</strong> a while <strong>for</strong> the
others to speak and then land up speaking simultaneously! It is also interesting to observe that
this time of ‘waiting <strong>for</strong> others to speak’ is pregnant with an unusual silence. Discuss with the
participants how they felt. How difficult or easy was it <strong>for</strong> them to ‘restrain’ themselves from
speaking.
e) Use of <strong>for</strong>ce while communication
Highlight the fact to your participants that they are a duty-bearer and not a ‘<strong>for</strong>ce’. The <strong>Police</strong> is
commonly perceived as a ‘<strong>for</strong>ce’ or a source of power. This notion might take a long time to be clarified,
given the differences in perception among people. It is thus natural that some times, you might want to
exert this sense of ‘power’ during the process of investigation of a case of trafficking as well, through
the way you communicate with the survivor. This might be expressed either as open threats and abuses
or as aggressive posturing and condescending behaviour.
You must absolutely shed this sense of ‘<strong>for</strong>ce’ and ‘power’ while communicating with the survivor. The
survivor has been witness to extreme and most repressive <strong>for</strong>ms of <strong>for</strong>ce and sensing the same from you
as well can become totally aloof, defensive, and/or uncooperative in the investigation process. Thus,
such attitudes must be discarded as they can only prove counter-productive and lead to failure.
f) Establishing a positive relationship through communication
Emphasize among the participants that they must
Be courteous and respectful to the survivor,
Be sensitive to their needs,
Encourage the survivor to be responsive by maintaining a non-threatening demeanour and ensure
that the survivor realizes that the police intentions are to support the survivor’s needs throughout
and further their rehabilitation and reintegration into the society. 41