Bengaluru: The Child Line 1098, a toll-free number, receives around 200 calls to rescue minor children, said Vasudev Sharma, director, Child Rights Trust (CRT), a nodal organisation of Child Line. Sharma told the media on Monday, “There are a number of cases of children being rescued under various circumstances. The helpline is active 24/7 and it should be ensured that the number is displayed in all areas were children are present, like schools and colleges. Every day, we face new challenges in rescuing children and we are discussing various possible methods to ensure that the children are rescued safely.”
The CRT, along with Bosco and Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA), will celebrate Childline Se Dosthi Week from November 14 to 21 across the country. During the week, various activities have been planned to create awareness among people about rescuing children, who are found in dire situations. The organisations in Bengaluru, have rescued 1,387 children, while the Bengaluru Railway Childline has rescued 2,249 children.
An official from CRT said, “On a daily basis, the helpline receives around 200 calls asking to rescue children, who are being trafficked, molested or assaulted, begging on the streets, found abandoned and many more. But the problem is the callers do not give us the exact location where the child is present. The caller is under the fear that they will be entangled in legal issues or will have to make frequent visits to police stations. This is the most common fear among the callers.”
He said, “But we want to make it clear that the information of the caller is confidential and we don’t want reveal details of the caller. We ensure that they are not called in for questioning or any other formalities. We just want the caller to provide us the exact location, so that it becomes easy for us to rescue the child,” the official said.
A press release stated that during the Dosthi Week, the organisations will visit schools, colleges, malls, major bus-stands, slums and places where there is constant movement of public and conduct various activities like street plays, quizzes, lectures on corporal punishment and many more activities creating awareness about the child line.
