Railway and Women & Child Development Ministries join hands to trace missing children

The Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Railways have come together to ensure the care and protection, security and well-being of runaway children said Union Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Smriti Irani said that "the Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Railways have jointly taken up an initiative to ensure the care and protection, security and well-being of run away, unaccompanied and trafficked children who may come in contact with Railway. The Ministry has supported Railway Childline help desk at 122 Railway stations."

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NCRB records the number of traced children

Sharing concrete data from the inputs provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Smriti Irani said that over fifty thousand children were traced during the year 2018 out of which 20,555 were boys and 42,691 were girls.

The children included 17,900 boys and 38,566 girls from the states and 2,655 boys and 4,125 girls from the Union Territories. At least 27 Transgender children were also traced in Bihar aged between 5 to 14 years.

Section 2 (14) (ix) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act) states that a child who is found vulnerable and is likely to be inducted into drug abuse or trafficking is considered as a ''child in need of care and protection''.

"Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing ''Child Protection Services'' (CPS) (erstwhile Integrated Child Protection Scheme), for the care, protection, rehabilitation, and reintegration of children in difficult circumstances," Smriti Irani told the Rajya Sabha.

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'Over 1 Lakh women benefited through legal services'

Over 1 lakh women have benefited through legal services and advice under the Legal Service Authorities Act, 1987, Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

In her written reply, Smriti Irani said that according to the information received from the National Legal Authority Services (NALSA), nearly 1,82,506 women have benefited through legal services and advice under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 during the current financial year 2019-20 (up to November 2019).

Smriti Irani's response was based on inputs provided by the NCRB's latest data.

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(Image: PTI)