A total of 253 children, including 49 girls, have been rescued from potential exploitation by the anti-child trafficking unit of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in 2024.

This special force, Nanhe Faristey, was set up in May 2018 across Indian Railways to ensure the safety of vulnerable children travelling by train.

With December just beginning, the number is bound to increase when compared to last year. From January to December 2023, a total of 237 children, including 50 girls, were rescued.

Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM), Bengaluru, Parikshith Mohanpuria told The New Indian Express, “These 253 children, in need of care and protection, were intercepted and safeguarded from potential exploitation.”

A majority of these children would, otherwise, have been exploited for child labour, prostitution and organ trade.

Another railway official said that some children would have taken the trains by their own after minor tiffs with their parents or due to poor performance in examinations.

Senior divisional security commissioner, RPF, Bengaluru, Shreyans Chinchwade, said, “Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police along with Bachapan Bachao Andolan is continuously monitoring the trains and station premises for safe movement of children. Any child in contact with Railways is always taken care of throughout the country. Along with that Railway Help line 139 is available to notify any children in distress within Railway premises."

Elaborating on the steps taken after the rescue, Mohanpuria said the District Child Protection Units (DCPU) and designated NGOs are contacted by the RPF to provide child-friendly counselling. “The rescued children are handed over to the DCPU and NGOs under proper acknowledgment, who then refer the cases to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC),” he said. The CWC, after thorough counselling, determines whether the rescued child will be reunited with their parents or sent to a rehabilitation centre for further care and protection.

The RPF Bengaluru Division operates eight dedicated Anti-Human Trafficking Units, one each at KSR Bengaluru City junction, Yesvantpur, Bengaluru Cantonment, Sir M Visvesvaraya station, Baiyappanahalli, Bangarpet, Mandya, Dharmapuri and Hindupur each comprising one young officer and two staff members (one male and one female), he said.

“These units, operate 24x7 across and are specially trained in rescuing children and detecting human and child trafficking cases,” the ADRM said, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.