Children rescued from begging during Dasara will be sent to the boys’ and girls’ home, where they will be provided learning spaces
The measures come after a 10-year-old girl belonging to a nomadic community was brutally assaulted and murdered just opposite Mysuru Palace during the previous edition of Mysuru Dasara , raising questions about child safety. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC), district child protection unit (DCPU) and other agencies have mapped seven areas from which child begging cases are frequently reported.
A dedicated facility will also be provided for lactating women engaged in begging, said Mahadeva Kote, member of CWC. We are planning to set up screening centers at railway station and two bus stations to collect the details of the migrant families with their contact numbers for proper monitoring and support,” he said. “We are planning not to release any children rescued during the Dasara from child begging to ensure that they will not be sent back to begging again,” he said.
Mysuru: Child protection agencies have drawn up an action plan to make this year’s Dasara free of child begging and safer for children, with monitoring in vulnerable areas and screening at railway and bus stations. These include the starting point of the Bengaluru-Mysuru National Highway, Bogadi junction, City Bus Stand and KSRTC Suburban Bus Stand, Dasara Exhibition Grounds, RMC, Mysuru Zoo, and Karanji Lake area. Children rescued from begging during Dasara will be sent to the boys’ and girls’ home, where they will be provided learning spaces and activities. “We are already working on creating awareness about the safety of children who stay in tents around the city with police.
State govt must celebrate child-friendly Dasara, according to child rights activist Nagasimha Rao. All prevention measures must be in place,” he said. 4Ps — Prevention, Protection, Provision, and Participation — are pillars of Child Rights, according to him. “If the unwanted incidents are prevented, it is easy to achieve other goals,” he said.
“Last year’s incident should not repeat.