523 children rescued from railway stations across Bengaluru division in 2018: RPF

Child Abuse

In 2019, between January and May 21, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) rescued 257 children from the South Western Railways limits.

TNM Staff

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As many as 523 children have been rescued in Bengaluru division over the last one year, according to Railway Protection Force. This makes the Bengaluru division the worst affected in terms of child trafficking in the entire South Western Railways region. “In the last one year, the RPF team Operation Nanhe Farishthe rescued 523 children who were trafficked into the city for bonded and child labour,” RPF Divisional Commissioner Debasmitha told Deccan Herald. Operation Nanhe Farishte is a special drive to rescue trafficked children.  The RPF said that the number of missing children in India over the last two decades was two lakh.  In 2018, the RPF had rescued as many as 1,299 children (1,125 boys and 174 girls), of which 523 (458 boys and 65 girls) are from Bengaluru division. Hubballi division was the second-worst affected, where 490 children (407 boys and 83 girls) were rescued. In Mysuru, 286 children (260 boys, 26 girls) were rescued in 2018.  In 2019, between January and May 21, 257 children (224 boys and 33 girls) were rescued from  South Western Railways limits.  Of them, 206 children, including 183 boys and 23 girls, are from Karnataka, 13 children— 12 boys and one girl - are from Bihar and nine are from Andhra Pradesh.  Another RPF official said that most of these trafficked children who have been rescued in the Bengaluru division are from North Karnataka.  “We’ve formed a dedicated team in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Hubballi to rescue children from criminals, meant for child trafficking, labour, prostitution and organ trade,” the official told The Times of India.  These statements were made on the occasion of International Missing Children’s Day on Saturday. Officials also said that they have decided to intensify Operation Nanhe Farishte.  To mark the occasion, officials also screened a movie centred around child labour and trafficking. A signature campaign was also started by the Railway officials, urging passengers to inform the police in case of suspicious activity.  To alert the police, passengers can call railway security number 182 or 1098, which is the child helpline number. People can also call 100 to reach the General Railway Police.          

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