New Delhi: A familiar scene unfolds when vehicles stop at most traffic signals in the capital. Children flit between cars, tap on their windows and stretch out their hands for alms.
More than 150 representatives from govt departments, Delhi Police , NGOs, academia and civil society attended a recent meeting where guidelines to the end were drafted after consultations with key departments, experts and child protection organisations. Under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, kids found begging, living or working on the streets, abandoned, orphaned, missing, abused, exploited, vulnerable to substance abuse or trafficking, or without proper parental care can fall under the category of Children in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP). To change this picture, Delhi women and child development department (WCD) has framed draft guidelines for Children in Street Situations (CiSS), covering their identification, rescue, protection, rehabilitation, restoration and reintegration. WCD secretary Dr Rashmi Singh reiterated the department’s commitment to protecting street children from begging and exploitation, while ensuring their safety, dignity, education and rehabilitation. The department has flagged several concerns: many children who have been surveyed have never attended school, with the situation worsening after Covid; substance use, including inhalants like correction fluid and adhesives and tobacco, is prevalent among them; and kids face risks of sexual exploitation, trafficking and child labour.
The rescue protocol requires immediate safety and basic support, followed by production of a kid before Child Welfare Committee within 24 hours of being rescued. Family tracing and an individual care plan are to be undertaken within seven days, while a social investigation report and admission to schools, beginning of skill training or reintegration process are to follow within 15 days. Because of poverty or family distress, the focus will be family strengthening and welfare support, for children found begging.
Where exploitation, coercion or trafficking by parents or guardians is established, legal action will be taken while safeguarding the child’s best interests.