Porters, bus employees to join hands for Operation Valsalya

KOZHIKODE: Bus employees, porters, head load workers and auto rickshaw drivers in the district will join hands to protect and rehabilitate missing children and those living on the streets. A group of bus crew, porters and other workers who have high chances of spotting children wandering in suspicious situations, will be empanelled by the district child protection unit (DCPU) for the purpose.

The DCPU is giving stress to porters, bus employees and others as children who run away from home and who are abducted and abandoned by anti-socials are more likely to reach railway stations and bus stands. Besides, children who are forced to engage in child labour also reach bus stand and railway station.

"At present many of the persons who see children wandering alone are reluctant to pass information with the misconception that they will have to appear before police and court and clear legal formalities," said Sheeba Mumthas, district child protection officer. District child protection unit with the support of police and health officials are planning to meet porters, bus employees, train ticket examiners and emphasize the need for their cooperation to rescue children, she said adding that they would educate the public that they can save a child just by dialling the number of Childline, police or the child protection unit.

Operation Valsalya was launched in the district on October 2 by the social justice department to locate missing children. The project aims to prepare a data bank of children from other states living in various children homes in the district and to shift children living on the streets to shelter homes.

After identifying missing children, the officials will match the data with child missing cases reported across the country and track the parent of the located children.

An inspection by the team on Sunday located a 15 year old boy from Murshidabad in West Bengal from Kozhikode beach. The boy was later shifted to children's home. The officials have started search to locate his parents as per the information provided by the boy.