RPF rescued over 40K missing kids in last five years

Anisha Dutta NEW DELHI: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has found more than 43,000 missing children at 88 major railway stations across India over the last five years in collaboration with the Union ministry of child development and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), according to officials familiar with the matter.

RPF data shows that the number of children rescued has been growing every year since the railway ministry, the women and child development (WCD) and NCPCR issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) in 2015 that included a protocol for rescue, and for better care and protection of children in contact with the railways.

“This year has been declared as the year for safety of women and children in the Indian Railways. Hence we started this special programme of setting up the child helpline and help desk. We also had a rigorous training session for our men to identify these children and suspicious persons involved in transportation of children and conducting inquiries accordingly,” said Arun Kumar, director general of RPF.

Under the programme, help desks and kiosks have so far been set up at 88 important railway stations, including all 75 stations that have an ‘A1’ designation. At these stations, the ‘child help’ group comprises of the Sta tion Superintendent/ Station Master-Convener, an inspector an RPF officer, a station house officer (SHO) and a senior sec tion engineer. In addition, the WCD ministry nominates NGOs to help in rehabilitation.The NCPCR collaborated with us for railway stations. We figured that railway stations are the main mode of transport for children being displaced and transported for various purposes -- child labour, human trafficking organ extortion, etc.

“The main purpose for touts and middlemen is to sell organs push them to child labour, abuse etc,. Railway stations were iden tified as a major hub for these activities,” said a senior RPF offi cer who asked not to be named RPF is a security force entrusted with protecting passengers, rail way stations, and railway prop erty. Runaway, missing or aban doned children rescued from railway stations by the RPF and railways staff are brought to these child help groups.

“Efforts are made to reunite the children with their parents It it does not happen, the chil dren are then handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of the district,” the officer added

In 2014, before the programme started, 5,294 children were res cued from railway stations. This grew to 7,044 in 2015, 8,593 in 2016 and 11,178 in 2017.