As many as 35 children in the age group of 13 to 16 years rescued from railway platforms and streets were restored to their families at a reunion ceremony attended, among others, by Delhi Women and Child Development Minister Sandeep Kumar here on Thursday. Many of the children were reportedly into some form of substance abuse.
A camp was started by a Bengaluru-based non-government organisation, Society for Assistance to Children in Difficult Situation, for children brought from New Delhi and Old Delhi railway stations in February. Most of them were from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and were away from their homes for three months to five years.
After going through one month of intensive camp that included activities such as meditation, yoga, non-formal education, moral stories and cultural interactions, about 15 children from the camp and an identical number from Alipur Government Children’s Home expressed their desire to return to their homes.
The Women and Child Development Department officials, supported by the NGO’s staff, traced the addresses of these children with the help of Delhi Police. It was pointed out that of the 314 children picked up from the New Delhi railway station 206 of them were reunited with their families.
Addressing the ceremony at Gandhi Peace Foundation, Mr. Kumar laid emphasis on the role of parents in the upbringing of children and said it was necessary to inculcate family values among the kids to enable them to follow the right path. Mr. Kumar said the Delhi Government was fully committed to rehabilitation of rescued children by providing them bridge education. The society at large, especially the NGOs, must help in eradication of problems about children fleeing from home, he said.
The Minister said the government was determined to protect the interests of children and ensure that all children go to schools.
The parents of the rescued children were contacted through a difficult and time-consuming exercise. Address-tracing was the most critical component as about 60 per cent of the children did not remember their addresses, having got lost at a very young age.
On the other hand, the families of some of the children who remembered addresses had migrated to other places. The parents of children rehabilitated in the camp were overjoyed when they received information about their parents after long years of separation.
The teenagers had a tearful reunion with their families at the ceremony and they left with their parents to lead a normal life.
Address-tracing was the most critical component as about 60 per cent of the children did not remember their addresses, having got lost at a very young age
