Rescue lost children on railway platforms from abuse, starvation and trafficking
Campaign by GiveIndia
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Story
What happens when children lose their way back home, face abuse, starvation and land up at busy railway stations? They are faced with dangerous situations, fall into the hands of abusers and are at high risk of getting lost forever.
When little Vijay couldn’t find his way home he ended up working at a hotel where he was abused everyday till he thought of running away and followed the railway route to Ghaziabad railway station. He could have also landed up in the hands of dangerous abusers and lost his way forever, but Railway Children India and their network of outreach volunteers saved Vijay. They tracked his village and reunited Vijay with his family after 7 years of leaving his home.
Lost children of India
“Every 5 minutes, children like Vijay take railway routes and arrive alone in India’s railway stations and are at risk at a railway platform. While less than 50% of them are found, rescued or united with their family… the rest fall into the hands of abusers - where they either get trafficked, sexually exploited, die or disappear forever” - Navin Sellaraju, Founder - Railway Children India
Intervention before exploitation
Railway Children India’s 24 hrs outreach teams recognize children who are alone and at risk at railway stations and send them to shelter homes that provide short-term accommodation for children with nowhere safe to stay and long-term care for those whose families couldn’t be tracked. These children are provided psychosocial support to help them recover from the trauma, medical assistance, education, vocational training until they trace their families.
But they cannot do it alone
“We rescue around 1300 children every month. Especially during the lockdowns, the cases of runaway kids had soared with most of them between the age of 12 to 16 years - which has increased the urgency for rescue and protection. The sooner we reach these children, the higher the chances of rescuing them from exploiters and traffickers. But to do that we need your support,” says Navin.
The organisation spends around ₹60 Lakhs annually through their Child Help Desk and Open Shelters in each location. With growing numbers of lost and runaway children, they are in dire need to continue their work and are looking for financial support.
Your support will help us save thousands of children from the streets and from the hands of abusers and reunite with their families” - Navin
Reunite lost children with their families, give them a better life
Your contribution can lead India’s railway children back to the safety of their homes and also provide them with trauma counselling, nutrition, education and shelter. Don’t let them disappear forever, donate now.
Updates
4 Aug, 2023
Thank you all for your incredible support!
Providing a glimpse into the interventions made possible by your invaluable contributions. These images serve as a testament to the impact of our collective efforts. Swipe right to explore more images.
Image 1: Child Help Desk at Delhi Sarai Rohilla railway station
Image 2: Awareness session on Child Rights and Protection conducted for cleaning staff at the railway station
Image 3: Awareness session on Child Rights organized at the DCM School
Image 4: Art and Crafts Exhibition Day at Child Learning Centre in the community
11 Jul, 2023
We are delighted to share some heartwarming stories of change.
Case Study #1: Two little siblings reunited with family
Aadil (13 years) and Salman (12 years) were travelling from Aligarh, UP with their family to visit their grandmother. They got down to fetch some water at New Delhi Railway Station. Children said “seeing the train moving, we ran behind the train but could not run faster than the train and could not climb back. Our Abbu and Ammi did not know that we had got down from train” Children added that as soon as the train leaves the platform, the hope of them going back to their family was gone.
Salman and Aadil could not find their way home back, they did not remember any contact number of their family. They have requested many people to help but people thought children were begging and given money, food etc. Both the children were able to survive four days with food they received from strangers. They moved one Railway station to another expecting someone to help. They had to spend their nights on the different platforms of the railway stations, they were not only homeless but also hopeless at that moment.
On 20.01.2023 at about 10 PM, the station superintendent (SS) of Ghevra Railway Station called to Child Help Desk/ Delhi Sarai Rohilla Raiway Station informing about two needy children who were roaming on the railway platform without any guardian. As soon as we have received the phone call and intimation of the children Mr. Kamal, outreach worker of RCI, rushed to the Ghevra station to meet the children who were in the SS office. RCI staff introduced himself Team member could build a good rapport with them. The children were hungry hence they were provided with dinner after which they were brought safely to the Child Help Desk in Delhi Sarai Rohilla Station.
The children were provided with emotional support after giving the children a safe environment where they could talk freely about the things that happened to them. During the interaction with them, they apprised us of how they separated from their family during traveling and now they have no home to live in. They did not remember any contact number of their family.
On 23.01.2023 children were produced before the Child welfare Committee- III, Sewa Kutir, Kingsway Camp, Delhi for further action and direction for the rehabilitation and reintegration of the children with their family. The Committee has interacted with the children and as per the need of the children they were placed in a Child Care Institution (Prayas Open Shelter Kashmere Gate) with directions to trace the family/home of the children at the earliest.
The family of the children was traced with the help of Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU. Missing FIR was registered by the family in PS Rearward, Aligarh, UP under section 363 of IPC 1860. The children were handed over to the concerned Investigation Officer in the presence of the children’s parents as per the order of the Child Welfare Committee. The mother of the child was so happy to find her children safe. She was so thankful for all the people who helped the children to keep safe and reunite with them. As per the follow-up taken with the father of the children, he informed us that both the children were healthy and happy at home and residing with the family.
Please note that we are sharing the case study exactly as provided by the NGO. Therefore, we kindly ask for your understanding regarding any grammatical or language errors.
Stay tuned for more such inspiring stories!
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