We often encounter children who get lost in crowded public places such as markets, malls, funfairs, railways stations, etc. The children lost at railway stations are rescued and taken to either the station master's room or any spare room available as the kids cannot be taken to a police station. These rooms are usually small and filthy, which obviously do not put any juvenile at ease.
In accordance with the Railway Board's policy to have child-friendly zones at major Indian railways stations, the first such zone for Karnataka will be inaugurated this weekend at Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Railway Station (Bengaluru).
Facilities To Be Provided
The child-friendly zone is under process on platform number 1 and is being the final touches. It is called 'Kushi Hub' and has been handed over by Railways to the anti-trafficking unit of Railway Protection Force (RPF), 'Nanhe Farishtey' and NGOs' ChildLine India' and 'International Justice Mission' to make it a secure place for children.
The dedicated space has been constructed in an area of 600 square feet, including toys, books, a pantry, toilets and good seating facilities. There will be CCTV cameras installed for 24x7 monitoring with staff present throughout with comfortable access to it from the third entry.
Child Trafficking
Child trafficking at a railway station is a common phenomenon as it includes travellers from different destinations, making it the worst place for children to be lost. As per the data provided by RPF, in 2121, at least 581 children were rescued, with 304 of them being victims of trafficking.
Several NGOs rescue such children from railway stations and provide them short-term accommodation at shelter homes and long-term care for those whose families could not be tracked.
Initiative's Objective
The primary objective behind the formation of the child-friendly zone at railway stations is to provide a positive and healthy environment to kids, which would ease them, giving them a feeling of home. It will also help them open up about their troubles. Inspector General and Principal Chief Security Commissioner, RPF, South Western Railway (SWR), Alok Kumar, said, "It will mark SWR's first dedicated space for counselling children rescued by RPF, including victims of child trafficking. It is a great initiative to provide psycho-social support and counselling to children in need of care and protection which come in contact with Railways," reported The New Indian express.
An initiative like this comes a long way and shows a recognition of a bigger problem of child trafficking in crowded spaces such as railway stations. The Logical Indian appreciates the move by the state and expects other states to follow such a scheme.
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