Mumbai: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) will implement its Child Rescue Campaign (CRC) in 47 more railway stations taking the total to 82 stations — of which 75 A1 category stations will be covered under this campaign.

The campaign has been successfully implemented in 35 railway stations and the RPF has rescued around 21,000 children in the last three years.

An initiative, Operation Muskaan, of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to rescue/rehabilitate missing children is a dedicated campaign with several activities taken up by police organisations to trace and rescue missing children and reunite them with their families. The Government Railway Police (GRP) and RPF are required to take preventive measures and also take action in case children in need of care and protection are found in trains and railway premises.

During the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, the RPF personnel were able to rescue 20,931 children including 1,317 trafficked children (944 boys and 373 girls) from railway premises. In the current year, the RPF rescued 7,126 children until August, including 185 trafficked children (124 boys and 61 girls).

The RPF has been rescuing 20-25 children every day from trains and railway premises and has handed them over to their parents, relatives, NGOs, Child Welfare Committees and other legally established institutions.

In Mumbai alone, 609 lost, abandoned and runaway children were found between July 1 and 15, with 159 being found in the Mahim-Mumbai Central belt. Nearly 83 per cent of the children were boys, with the authorities managing to reunite 85 per cent of the children with their families. Many of the runaway kids leave homes because of being scolded by their parent, ill-treatment by a stepmother or father.

A large number of runaways, unaccompanied and trafficked children travel to different parts of the country and most use railway premises for shelter and livelihood. These children are highly vulnerable to all forms of abuse, violence, neglect and exploitation.

Due to the vigilant and prompt action by the RPF, it was conferred with the ‘Service of Excellence Award’ by the Home Affairs Ministry for rescuing missing children under the Operation Muskan drive.

Special kiosks, child help desks are set up at designated station which are manned round the clock by RPF staff and the staff of Childline/NGO nominated by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD). The entire exercise is undertaken as per the Standard Operating Procedure jointly developed by Ministry of Railways, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Ministry of WCD