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Sanjoy Roy
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S. M. Yunus
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Low-cost connectivity and wide spread existence of basic telephony is transforming how Indias billion people go about their daily chores. It is comparatively easier to access or disseminate important information be it disaster, social or health related to a large rural hinterland which was earlier cut off from the mainstream. The boundaries between the two Indian realities, rural and urban are fast dissolving.
For any child forsaken, lost or abandoned succour comes in the form of Childline Foundation of India, an organisation that works to protect and rehabilitate children in distress. Childline is a partnership platform bringing together the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of the Government of India, the UNICEF, the Department of Telecommunications, street and community youth, non-profit organisations, academic institutions, the corporate sector and concerned individuals.
Childline services have been set up across most of the major cities and reach out to children in difficult circumstances. In each city, an NGO collective runs childline services providing support in the form of medical and legal aid, shelter, repatriation for missing children, rescue from abuse, counselling and sponsorship. Since 1996, the number of phone calls that Childline receives has gone up to 6.6. million calls from a mere 858 calls in the launch year.
Some experiences
A typical case handled by the Childline Central Zone, Delhi run by the Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT) was a call from the distraught father of seven year- old Mohammad Afzal, who had gone missing. Afzal was mentally-challenged and was unable to communicate and was totally dependant on others. Information was immediately sent out via Internet to the Childline network and to the Missing Persons Squad. Two days later, the Tis Hazari Police Station referred a child, Mohammad Eqbaal to Childline SBT. The physical features of the boy were similar to those of Mohammed Afzal. Childline requested Afzals father to come in and identify the child and Afzal was reunited with his family.
Today precious person-hours are spent in locating a childs home or family whereabouts. Having determined the rough location of the family, the support staff from Salaam Baalak trust accompanies the child to the closest district centre, and then enquires about the village before taking the child there. In some cases, returning the child is a simple process. But mostly, children remember their addresses very vaguely and rehabilitating them becomes a very complex process.
In the long run, through an effective Childline and NGO partner web enabled network This exercise should become relatively easier. On receiving information from the child about his or her home, it would be possible to connect with an NGO working in the area and ask them to identify the village in question and if possible meet with a parent or guardian and determine why the child ran away. Was it due to abuse, poverty, misunderstanding, or sibling rivalry, etc? Having made a preliminary survey, the NGO determine whether it is in the best interest of the child to be returned home and if possible follow up regularly to ensure the child has been successfully rehabilitated. Local organisations have a stronger network in their area of operation and this could be leveraged for effective solutions and long-term action plan.
Recently, Childline SBT repatriated two sisters of eight and ten years who were lost. They were referred to Childline and were unable to recollect their complete address except that they lived some place in Patna. SBT referred their case with photographs to the Patna Childline through the Internet and asked them to locate their homes.The Patna Childline in turn released the information to the local press and a daily newspaper printed their story. The father of the girls came across the story, contacted the SBT and the girls were returned home successfully.
Seventy per cent of the children who run away do so on a whim and without a second thought. Most often they bring with them their younger siblings who are even more vulnerable. Having escaped on the first train or bus that left their home, it is almost impossible for them to find their way back even if they wanted to. The first few days alone on the streets of a city are often enough for the child to reconsider home as a better place and want to go back to even the poorest of parents or the most difficult of situations. It is essential in cases like these to identify the need of the children and return them at the earliest to their homes.
International repatriation cases though not common have also been only resolved through networking. A truck driver found a 12-year-old girl named Maria wandering on the road near Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) in New Delhi. He referred the girildline Central Zone. Following a due process of counselling it was discovered that she was a resident of Chechawatni, Pakistan and wanted to go back home. According to her, she was traveling to Lahore from Chechawatni with her mother. Through a series of incidents, she was separated from her mother at the Lahore bus station and found herself on a bus, which arrived in Delhi. Childline workers were unable to piece together how exactly she found her way to Delhi without a passport or any personal papers. She was in shock and was very frightened, having been separated from her mother. The only thing she could remember was that the bus she climbed into left when she got down to release herself.
As she belonged to Pakistan, Childline informed the local General Railway Police station and Missing Persons Squad about the girl and requested them to take the case forward. They also inquired at the ISBT Police station about the arrival of the girl and her mother. The ISBT police station in turn sent the Childline team members to I. P. Estate Police Station where the records of tourist arrivals from Pakistan are maintained but there was to record of her arrival by bus on that date. Not having heard anything for six weeks from the authorities, SBT contacted the Pakistan High Commissioner and requested him to follow up the case. The High Commission took immediate action and contacted their counterparts in Pakistan who helped locate her home and family in spite of the incomplete address. Officials on both sides of the border extended their cooperation and took care of all formalities following which an official of the Pakistan embassy accompanied the girl to her home and she was successfully reunited with her family.
Utilising ICTs
Low-cost connectivity and wide spread existence of basic telephony is transforming how Indias billion people go about their daily chores. It is comparatively easier to access or disseminate important information, be it disaster, social or health related to a large rural hinterland which was earlier cut off from the mainstream. The boundaries between the two Indian realities, rural and urban are fast dissolving.
In years to come, the information revolution should completely change the way the government and NGOs deliver their products and provide services. Video conferencing seems to be the norm at most of the state capitals with the district centres and even smaller taluks now being linked to district centers and in turn to state ministers and local government making it easier for information to be collected, collated analysed and appropriate action taken instantly.
For organisations like Childline, connectivity ensures that children do have a safety net and can be provided quality care be it at a new home or in their native village. Today follow up with parents, guardians and children who have been rehabilitated through the Childline route is a time consuming effort, and is far from efficient. Children and parents are given post cards by SBT staff to send back at regular intervals and the local school principal is often given the task of keeping an eye on the child. With an efficient network, this would really be a click away with reports about childrens progress and drop out levels.
Every single day, hundreds of children are lost or abandoned or are forced to run away due to various circumstances. Though there is a centralised Missing Person Squad that records the data of each missing person [provided a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered]; the efforts made by an over-stretched and technologically disadvantaged police force for locating a missing child are questionable. In the recent times, alliances between NGOs and the police have proved to be more capable of rehabilitating a child successfully.
Sanjay Roy
HELPLINE NUMBER - 1098
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| Status of
calls received during the year 2004-2005 by SALAAM BAALK TRUST
CHILDLINE
CENTRAL ZONE - DELHI |
Total calls 46745
Actual assistance calls were 16154
(including follow-up, chat and silent calls) i.e. 34 % of the
total call received.
- Medical
calls Total 60 calls
(85 % of the total calls received were provided assistance till the
recovery of the client)
(87% of the total calls received for shelter were provided appropriate
care.)
- Repatriation
Total 229 calls
(92 % of the received calls for repatriation were dealt with
successfully.)
- Rescue
/protection from abuse Total 20 calls.
(80% of the received calls were provided help.)
- Child
lost Total 115 calls
(93% of the calls received for this category were successfully helped)
- Direct
intervention calls Total 783 calls
(89% of the total calls received assistance) |
In the urban centres, there are numerous organisations working with street children, but they lack an effective system for sharing data with each other. A web-enabled site developed only for missing children and linked to police stations, Missing Person Squads, NGOs and the local government, would dramatically reduce the risk that a runaway child is placed in and increase the probability of restoring a child back to his or her home.
With the advent of Google Earth, Childline services will be at an advantage and will be able to trace or locate the possible village, town and street where the childs home may be located. Aerial views and landmarks like churches, temples, railway lines, lakes and more could help jog the childs memory and provide clues to help workers determine the exact location of a house or locality.
Ultimately technology can be as useful as people want to be. Till we are able to build awareness about the use of communication technology and back this up with appropriate infrastructure including availability of power, low-cost computers and connectivity services, adequate training, dissemination of appropriate technology and knowledge, linking together for a better future will remain and unrealised dream.
Authors: Sanjoy Roy is the Trustee of Salaam Baalak Trust and S.M. Yunus is Coordinator, Childline Delhi.
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