Operation Muskaan, for children facing neglect

Orphans or missing children are often habituated to crime when they are neglected and allowed to land in criminals’ clutches. Either they end up as criminals or die young because of bad vices.

Keeping in mind such children whose parents engage them as child labour for survival and children who got separated from parents accidentally, the Central government coined a scheme ‘Operation Muskaan’ wherein the police identify such children at public places like railway and bus stations and convince them to join the family by conducting couselling to parents.

If parents cannot be identified by the children because of their tender age, the police keep the children under the protection of women and child welfare groups. As part of Operation Muskaan, the city police have rescued as many as 151 children, including 13 girls, who were neglected by their parents. Orphans also formed a part of the little angels protected by the city cops.

The city police arranged a programme for handing them to child and women welfare organisations recently. City Commissioner of Police Gowtham Sawang interacted with these children and enquired about their welfare at his office here.

Speaking on the occasion, the CP said that 79 teams were formed to rescue these children at public places including railway station, bus station and market places. The children reach the city after neglect and denial of parents. Some of them were too young to identify their names and parent’s names. While 99 of them belong to our State, others were from outside the State. A total of 66 children hails from city itself, he says.

Change in attitude of parents who neglected their children would be possible a bit early if voluntary organisations, psychologists, counselors and others come forward for the cause of the neglected children, he opines. The CP informs the media that the police have already been implementing ‘Balamitra’, an initiative to care for the orphans and other neglected children.

Arava Ramesh, city coordinator of Child Line, says if neglected, the children, especially orphans, will get addicted to vices like smoking, drugs and other activities. Any ignorance on the part of society will turn them into anti-social elements. Unfortunately many parents are engaging their children in child labour. Once they change their attitude and guide them to study in schools, the children’s future will be bright, he adds.

By Noor Shaik