Railway police save more runaway girls this year
MUMBAI: Among the 171 runaway children the Government Railway Police (GRP) rescued till August this year from its jurisdiction in Mumbai, which includes 17 police stations, 51 were girls. Although the total figure saw a minor dip from 188 such cases during the same period last year, the number of runaway girls rescued witnessed an increase from 45, which, according to officials, is a worrying trend.
Out of the 51 rescued girls, 25 were reunited with their families and 26 were sent to children home, officials said while adding that many of them fled their homes due to domestic trouble or to elope with their lover. “The rise in number of these cases shows a worrying trend,” said Ritesh Aher, GRP spokesperson
As per the records collated by the GRP, while most of these children came to Mumbai to make a living but eventually ended up begging, others had fled their homes due to minor squabbles with parents or other domestic issues. “We find children begging or being hired for work. They all stay alone in the city, some even coping with disabilities or diseases. We take their details and try to reunite them with their parents quickly,” added Aher.
Officials said in most cases of runaway girls, they refuse to go back home and hence are handed over to the shelter homes, where the child welfare committee (CWC) mediates, counsels and makes the process of reuniting them with their families smooth.
Citing the domestic issues faced by most of the girls, they seek to stay away from their homes. In such cases, the children’s home authorities summon their parents after getting in depth details of their issues and they are counselled in presence of their wards so that it acts as deterrent to both the parties. In cases of harassment or violence, the CWC also takes written bond from parents, which is an effective step.
The railway police work closely with several NGOs who deal with runaway underage children and teenagers. The personnel has been asked to keep a special watch on children found on station premises and have been sensitized to deal with them accordingly.
