Latest news with #OperationSmile
Hans India
5 days ago
- Hans India
Hyd'bad city police ratchet up anti-human trafficking efforts
Hyderabad: In a major move to enhance its efforts in combating human trafficking and protecting children, the Hyderabad City Police launched the newly constituted Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), Juvenile Bureau (JB) Unit, and a first-of-its-kind Victim Assistance Unit (VAU) in Telangana. The Hyderabad city police commissioner CV Anand inaugurated the unit at the Central Crime Station (CCS), Hyderabad. Victim Assistance Unit (VAU) was established in collaboration with Prajwala NGO, which was also launched. This reorganization follows GO 32, Home (Legal) Department, which initially placed the AHTU under the Women Safety Wing, Hyderabad. Subsequently, GO 57, formally constituted these specialized wings with dedicated sanctioned strengths. The AHTU has been formally constituted with a sanctioned strength of 8 personnel including – 1 Inspector, 2 Sub-Inspectors, 2 Head Constables, and 3 Police Constables. The unit is tasked for curbing the trafficking of women and children, including -identifying trafficking hotspots in both physical and online domains, gathering actionable intelligence to facilitate timely rescue operations, monitoring individuals involved in trafficking networks such as pimps, touts, brothel operators, and customers, conducting pre-rescue, rescue, and post-rescue operations, following up on pending trial cases to ensure justice, conducting raids to apprehend traffickers and facilitating the repatriation of Indian victims to their home states and the deportation of foreign nationals. As of 2025, the AHTU has filed 23 cases, 44 victims were rescued, and 71 accused arrested. Additionally, the Juvenile Bureau Team / Special Juvenile Police Unit has been formally constituted with a sanctioned strength of 7 personnel, comprising 1 Inspector, 2 SIs, 2 HCs, and 2 PCs. Based at the Central Crime Station, Hyderabad, the JB Team's primary responsibility is to protect children from atrocities such as child labor, human trafficking, and bonded labor. The JB/SJPU Team works in coordination with the Child Welfare Committee to repatriate missing or traced juveniles to their respective homes throughout India. This year, the JB unit successfully repatriated four children within the state and 7 children to other states. Additionally, under the Operation Smile and Operation Muskaan programmes, 896 children were rescued. The first-of-its-kind Victim Assistance Unit (VAU), center in Telangana plays a crucial role in supporting victims of immoral human trafficking. The VAU aims to help victims recall their exploitation in a trauma-informed manner, prepare them to depose evidence confidently and without fear during court proceedings, facilitate access to government schemes, legal aid, rehabilitation benefits, and psychosocial support and Aid victims in their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
Hyderabad police strengthens anti-human trafficking and child protection with new victim assistance centre
A new Victim Assistance Unit, Telangana's first dedicated centre aimed at providing support to survivors of human trafficking, was launched at the Central Crime Station (CCS), Hyderabad, on Tuesday. The unit, developed in collaboration with NGO Prajwala, is designed to help victims recollect their trauma in a safe, informed environment and support them through the judicial process, including preparation for court depositions. It will also assist in linking survivors with legal aid, State-run rehabilitation schemes and psycho-social counselling for rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Staff from Prajwala will operate the centre under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Women Safety Wing. Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand also inaugurated newly reorganised and dedicated facilities for its Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) and Juvenile Bureau (JB) Unit. These reorganisations follow a Government Order issued by the Home Department on April 30, 2023, which initially brought the AHTU under the Women Safety Wing. A subsequent Government Order dated April 24, 2025, formally constituted these wings with a clearly sanctioned strength of personnel. The AHTU is staffed with eight officers, including an inspector, two sub-inspectors, two head constables, and three police constables. The unit has been tasked with identifying trafficking hotspots both online and offline, conducting rescue operations, gathering actionable intelligence, and closely monitoring the movements and networks of traffickers - including pimps, brothel operators, touts and their clientele. In the current year alone, the AHTU has registered 23 cases, rescued 44 victims, and arrested 71 individuals involved in trafficking-related crimes. The unit is also engaged in following up trial cases and facilitating the repatriation of Indian victims as well as the deportation of foreign nationals in coordination with relevant authorities. The Juvenile Bureau Team, also functioning as the Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU), has been given a sanctioned strength of seven officers, and is based out of CCS Hyderabad. It focuses on protecting children from abuse, child labour, bonded labour and trafficking. The team works in close coordination with the Child Welfare Committee and has so far this year repatriated four children within Telangana and seven to other States. Under the 'Operation Smile' and 'Operation Muskan' drives, 896 children have been rescued to date.
Scottish Sun
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Dragon's Den star reveals biggest regret after investing millions on BBC show
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DRAGONS' Den legend Duncan Bannatyne wishes he had quit the telly hit sooner – so he could concentrate on his own endeavours. The gym chain boss, 76, forked out over £2 million on 36 investments during his ten-year reign on the BBC show. 4 Duncan doesn't miss Dragons' Den. Credit: BBC 4 Duncan with wife Nigora in Portugal. However, after bowing out in 2015, followed by his last major TV appearance in I'm A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here in the same year, he revealed that he regrets not declaring 'I'm out' years earlier. Duncan said: 'I left the show ten years ago. I regret not leaving earlier, actually, as it's a huge commitment and takes up 26 days of the year to film. I spent a lot of time away from my family. 'When you invest in someone, you then need to take responsibility for that person and make hard decisions, sometimes it's not nice. 'I just didn't want to be involved in it any more, I have my own businesses.' Duncan also revealed he doesn't regularly keep in touch with his fellow Dragons. He added: 'We all lead very different lives, but I did bump into Theo recently.' And reflecting on his TV career, Duncan says he's unlikely to return to the small screen. He says: 'I don't think I'll do any more television — it doesn't appeal to me. I've done everything I wanted to.' Away from television, Clydebank-born Duncan leads a busy and fulfilling personal and professional life. He began his career in the Royal Navy in the 1960s, but received a dishonourable discharge after threatening to throw an abusive officer off a boat landing jetty. His entrepreneurial journey began at age 30 when he bought an ice-cream van for £450. From there he built the largest chain of independent health clubs in the UK and expanded into hotels and property. I was on Dragons' Den - here's which Dragon is the most intimidating and which one is totally different off camera Today, Duncan oversees 68 gyms, takes pride in being a devoted husband and enjoys spending time with his seven grandchildren. He's also involved in charity work, including Operation Smile, a global organisation dedicated to helping children with cleft conditions. He says: 'I went to a black tie dinner and one of the auction prizes was a trip to Mexico with Operation Smile. I bid for it and won. 'On that trip, I was absolutely amazed at how the charity transforms lives. Children with cleft conditions are often ridiculed, called 'demons' and suffer from malnourishment due to difficulties eating. 'In the UK these issues are resolved quickly but in many parts of the world there aren't enough trained medics to address them.' Duncan is currently on a charity mission in Morocco with Uzbekistan-born wife Nigora Whitehorn, 45. The multi-millionaire tied the knot in 2017 with the stunning brunette, who is 31 years his junior. They at an intimate ceremony before family and friends on a Portuguese beach, close to where they live. The entrepreneur has five daughters and one son from his previous marriages, while Nigora has one daughter who Duncan calls his own. They met shortly after his divorce in 2011 from his second wife, Joanna McCue, which is said to have cost £345 million. Nigora was working as a dentist's receptionist in London's Harley Street when the pair first met. Duncan admitted that the connection on his side was instantaneous. 4 He's much happier doing charity work now. Credit: Supplied 4 Duncan enjoys working closely with his wife after quitting telly. Credit: instagram The smitten husband said: 'It's great that I get to do charity work alongside my wife, we're a good team. But it's not just my wife, I've got my son and daughter here with me as well as my wife's daughter, who I call my own. 'It's like a family operation, I get to spend time with my loved ones while doing work for a great cause.' Duncan told how he keeps in touch with families and feels a sense of attachment after hearing of their horrific ordeals. And he is happy to pull on a surgical gown and watch doctors at work in the operating theatre. He added: 'Handing a baby back to their mother after the procedure is an amazing feeling. "There are about 400 children at one time and sometimes you get attached to a certain child. You want to see them through the full process. I've kept in touch with a few families. "One story that sticks out was a young girl with six fingers. She had no nose and was coming in for her cleft lip and the surgeon used her extra finger to create a nose.' Duncan also loves spending quality time with his seven grandchildren. He said: 'I get to see them quite a bit, most of them spend summer with me in my house in Portugal. 'A few of them are out here with me now, my oldest grandson came over too. My granddaughter works for one of my clubs — she's loving it.' Duncan shows no signs of slowing down after dancing the night away in February at a Miami nightclub for his star-studded 76th birthday bash. Nigora declared her devotion to the Scots entrepreneur online, saying: 'I love you to the moon and back . . . Happy birthday to someone who never fails to brighten my day.' A source said at the time: 'Duncan had an absolute ball. There might be a few sore heads in the morning, but it was worth it.' The Scot has also swapped the boardroom for board games. He adds: 'During my downtime here in Morocco, I like to relax — by thrashing my son at backgammon.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Virginia Beach school raises thousands for Operation Smile
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – Old Donation School in Virginia Beach has raised thousands of dollars to support a local organization that is changing lives around the world. Now, the school forever has a symbol of its hard work and dedication to the cause. 'This is what I like to call it a passion project,' said Lizzie Meyers, a fourth-grade teacher at ODS. 'This has been a long time coming.' Several years ago, Meyers created a club at the school to teach children about , which is based in Virginia Beach. 'They understand that the whole platform of Operation Smile is to improve lives of our children around the world who have [a] cleft palate and need the surgeries and don't have the means to do it themselves,' Meyers said. That brings us to . ODS held multiple fundraisers earning $6,000 to have a dolphin statue placed in their school. Meyers said the Operation Smile Club at ODS let students and staff know they wanted to earn the statue, but they needed the help of everyone, and everyone stepped up. 'We started fundraising early in the year,' Meyers said. 'Candy grams are a huge hit at our school. So, we did candy grams for Halloween, and then we did candy grams again right around winter break. Then, we had the highlight of their year, which is the middle school dance. We did candy grams again for Valentine's Day. So, candy crahams are a big hit.' Funds raised go to programs at Operation Smile to provide leadership training for Hampton Roads students and to help with the costs of surgery for people born around the world with cleft palate conditions. Over the last three years, the Operation Smile Club at ODS has raised more than $14,000 for the organization. 'In years past. we've always done fundraising to just give to Operation Smile, and their goal has always been to try to beat the year before,' Meyers said. 'So, they know that a surgery is around $250. So they always try to breakdown our donation to see how many surgeries, and then we have morning announcements every morning, and that's a big highlight. They like to be able to tell everyone as a community we came together and we helped make this difference, so we can be proud of the fact that we earned this many surgeries this year.' ODS seventh grader Peyton Smith won her school's design competition for the dolphin. 'It's just something that's really special to me,' Peyton said. 'We got an opportunity that we were able to design for Operation Smile how we could picture it in our mind and have it come to life, and for me, I feel like the ocean and the beach is like my house, and I feel like everyone at ODS should feel welcome in their own home, and you should be [at] a place where everyone feels comfortable. It's like a good learning environment, and since we represent, like, rising tide at each grade level, we have a different team of animals and stuff like that, I really thought that Virginia Beach should be represented by a home, like the beach. That was my inspiration.' The details painted on the dolphin are vibrant. The mission is life changing, and ODS now, and forever, has a symbol of the difference the school community has made. 'We have been told that we are the first elementary and middle school, public school, in Virginia Beach to earn the dolphin statue,' Meyers said. 'So we're very proud of that.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Harrison Ford wants the Operation Smile award honoring his friend to inspire others to give more
Harrison Ford will receive an award for his philanthropy Tuesday night from the global surgery and training nonprofit Operation Smile. But the star of the 'Indiana Jones' and 'Star Wars' film franchises, as well as this year's 'Captain America: Brave New World,' says all the attention should go to the award's namesake – Ford's friend, the late humanitarian and noted plastic surgeon Dr. Randy Sherman. Like Ford, Sherman, who was director of the Cedars-Sinai Division of Plastic Surgery in Los Angeles and a specialist in reconstructive surgery who developed numerous training programs, was an avid pilot and they bonded when they shared the same home airport. Sherman told Ford of his volunteer work with Operation Smile, providing cleft palate surgery to children in countries where access to such services is limited, and Angel Flight West, which provides free medical transportation to patients. 'The things that he contributed to my life and to my family's lives are beyond anybody's wildest imagination,' Ford said of Sherman, who died in 2023 when his plane experienced engine failure and crashed in New Mexico. 'He was a very important person to me and, by the way, to all of the people that he's associated with in the medical community. All of them recognize his selfless service.' Dr. Billy Magee, Operation Smile's chief medical officer, called it a joy to honor both men, pointing out that Sherman was a leader in cleft palate care and 'a driving force behind Operation Smile's work to expand access to surgical care closer to patients' homes, even in the most remote corners of the world.' 'This award celebrates the spirit of compassion and dedication that both Harrison and Dr. Sherman embody,' said Magee, who recently announced Operation 100, which will equip 100 cleft operative teams in 100 hospitals around the world. 'I can't think of a more deserving recipient to carry that legacy forward.' The Associated Press recently spoke with Ford about receiving the Dr. Randy Sherman Visionary Award from Operation Smile and how he hopes it will inspire others to give what they can. The interview was edited for clarity and length. Q: How did you get to know Dr. Sherman? A: When the earthquake in Haiti struck (in 2010), I reached out to Randy and asked if he thought there was anything that we could do with an airplane that I had, which was particularly suited to the kind of work that's done in these circumstances. He very quickly organized a mission with Operation Smile and he met me and my pilot, who was working for me at the time, Terry Bender. We flew my Cessna Caravan to Miami and picked up supplies and medical professionals -- doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists -- and flew to Port-au-Prince. We flew missions to bring supplies and medical personnel to a community called Hinche, in the highlands of Haiti, a town that had no airport but did have a field that we were able to land the aircraft in. We were there for about a week, going back and forth each day to Hinche to bring in supplies. Q: What made you want to be a part of that — a dangerous mission under tough circumstances? A: Well, I didn't consider it to be dangerous. I considered it to be an opportunity to be able to use something that I had that was needed. The issue in Haiti was that when people were injured in the urban setting, there were no resources to treat them. They were then transported to the community that they grew up in… It was such a (expletive) in Port-au-Prince when we got there. Nobody knew what was going on. But we knew there was a hospital in Hinche that was staffed by two Cuban doctors and they had no supplies, no anesthetics. And because of the delay in assets reaching them, there were a lot of people suffering amputations and other very significant medical issues. Q: What was it like to see philanthropy in action in that moment? It's an example of something that the government is not going to handle. If the nonprofit doesn't do it, it doesn't get done. A: Pilots are good citizens. They're involved. They really are aware in many, many cases of the contributions they can make with their resources and their skills… This is not all altruism. We do want people to understand the positive values of general aviation and what they bring to a community. The freedom to fly in the United States is unequaled around the world, to my understanding. And the preservation of that freedom is really important to me and others. So we want to demonstrate our positive contribution to the community. Q: You don't talk about your philanthropy much, especially what you do to fight climate change. Do you feel that should get more attention? A: I think it gets attention when it needs to be recognized -- not my work, but the issues I'm talking about. I've been working in conservation for 35 years with an organization called Conservation International. We work internationally, as the name suggests. The only work we do here in the United States is fundraising. And we're under enormous threat now with the rise of nationalism and isolationism and all of the (expletive) that we're suffering. Q: Does that make your work even more pressing? Especially with the cuts to USAID that previously funded environmental work? A: Of course. Yes. Members of the Republican Party and the administration had been enthusiastic about the importance of funding international conservation. In the last 10 years, we have had a real, substantial contribution from USAID addressing and mitigating issues that have suddenly disappeared from our moral flowchart. It just (expletive) disappeared. It's a travesty. It's a tragedy. Q: Will Conservation International do something differently this year to make up for those cuts? A: Unfortunately, we will not be able to do that because we don't have extra funds to distribute. We don't have the structures of a scientific community that have been established and nurtured and cultured over the years. They've been dissolved. We can't do it. Q: Do you hope the Operation Smile award and the attention that comes with it will convince some people to donate more? A: I hope so. I hope it motivates some people to recognize they will have to create new mechanisms of funding and support. But we're also disavowing science. We're in such a fragile point of inflection here… There will be moments when all of us will be called upon to think about these things again and to make our individual efforts to address the imbalance of the situation that now exists. There are many people upset with this stuff. But will we coalesce around these things and become a political constituency, a moral army? ______ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
