Awareness helps to rescue children and protect their rights

With increasing awareness among populace about child help line, it has been possible for the department of Women and Child Welfare and Child Line to rescue children in trouble, child labour, trafficking, and stop child marriages.

The statistics obtained from the Child Help Line reveals that quite a good number of child abuse, child labour and child marriages cases have been registered in the district since February 2015 to April 2015.

About 424 children have been protected from abuse, and 50 child marriages have been stopped of the registered 85 marriages, and 48 children rescued from child labour of the registered 68 cases.

This apart, 20 begging children have been rescued (58 registered); and ten children subjected to sexual abuse have been rescued out of 13. Of the eight child trafficking registered six children have been rescued, and 44 physically abused cases are attended.

In the 1381 break-up of Intervention Calls received (including missed calls), 780 complaints have been registered at Child Line. Children seeking medical help (59); Shelter (32); Sponsorship (68); Emotional support and guidance (64); Counseling (52); Missing (30); Child lost found (51) Corporal punishment: 27; 104 dropout cases been registered.

Speaking to Express, Rural Literary and Health Programme (RLHP) Director Saraswathi said that with increasing awareness about child help line 1098, people from all walks of life are complaining to the Child Line, which helps to bring down crime against children, and rescue children from human trafficking, and provide then education, and fight for their rights.

'Awareness programmes will be intensified by reaching the communities, conducting out reach programmes and reaching schools. We aim to bring down child abuse, human trafficking and child labour, and other violations against children. Most of the child marriage cases are being registered at rural areas, and series of programmes will be conducted to educate them,' she added.

Women and Child Welfare Department DD Radha said that there is very good response for the helpline, and it has become possible to protect the rights of the children.