There are a lot more stories, some sad some happy, that we have to share. When CHILDLINE got involved in getting for medical aid for a child, to the times when someone called us to tell us the story of a films. Stories of living, breathing people, with lives that some of us cannot even imagine. Read on to get to know some of the people we have shared our experiences with.



Medical

Didi mujhe tej bukhar hai, jaldi aa jao.

From simple first aid to critical treatments, we have been called for all kinds of medical cases. Here are some of them.

BHOOKH (Hunger)

ALI HAD LOOKED FOR A BETTER LIFE. BUT IT WASN’T AS EASY AS HE HAD THOUGHT.

“Weakness took over him and he collapsed.”

“Isne do din se khana nahin khaaya.”

(He hasn’t eaten for two days.)

All children have dreams. While some of them dream of a new computer game or a new doll house, there are some of them who are content to dream of a square meal a day and a place to sleep. And this 12 year old’s dreams eluded him as after a long spell of starvation, he collapsed on the road. A PCO owner saw the child lying near a bus stand. His condition seemed critical. The concerned man called up CHILDLINE Guwahati and informed them about the child. By the time the team reached the spot, the child had already been admitted to a nearby nursing home by some concerned youth of the area. The nursing home advised the team and the youths to shift the child to Guwahati Medical College. The police was also informed. But the problems were not over yet. The doctors treating the child did not understand the Manipuri language he spoke. SO the CHILDLINE team requested members of Rajabari Club of Manipuri Basti, Paltan Bazaar, to help find translate the child’s langauage in order to find his background and address. It wasn’t a happy story to know. 12 year old Ali had run away from a life of poverty. His home was in Imphal. When he landed in Guwahati, he did not have any money with him and he starved for two days. Weakness took over him and he collapsed. That’s when the CHILDLINE team was informed about him.

After knowing his story, the club members helped arrange for food and clothes for Ali till he was discharged from the hospital. Some money and medicines were arranged for him and young Ali was sent back to Imphal, escorted by a member of the Rajabari Club. Maybe his dreams did not come true, but with the help of concerned members of society, Ali’s nightmare came to an end.




Ghaav (Wound)

SHE HAD MET WITH AN ACCIDENT. AND HER FAMILY HAD NO CLUE.

“The team members took care of the wounded child as she slipped in and out of consciousness.”

“Meri bachchi kahan gayi hogi?”

(Where could my daughter be?)

Rajni’s family must have missed her. They must have been worried about the child. They must have been searching for her. Wondering where she was. Little did they know that Rajni, a 14-15 year old girl had met with an accident near a place called Jhotwara. She was rushed to a nearby hospital by the CHILDLINE team. The team members took care of the wounded child as she slipped in and out of consciousness. The doctor conducted a CT scan free of charge and treated the girl. Finally, at night, Rajni’s worried father reached the hospital and was relieved to see his daughter safe. Rajni was discharged from the hospital after a couple of days. She went back to her family, safe and sound.




Dard (Pain)

HE HAD LIVED FOR THE PAIN FOR MONTHS. AND CHILDLINE WAS HIS ONLY HOPE.

“His condition was critical and his stomach was completely bloated.”

“Doctor saab, mere paas ilaaz ke paise nahin hain.”

(Doctor, I do not have money for treatment.)

Anuj had lived with the pain for several months now. His condition was critical and his stomach was completely bloated. He needed immediate medical attention for the acute liver problem that had worsened over the last few months. But an orphan, a poor one at that could not have hoped for help. That is when Narayanbhai, a social worker called up CHILDLINE and informed us about Anuj’s condition.

We contacted the superintendent of the civil hospital to help treat the child. Anuj was immediately admitted to the hospital and the entire medical costs were borne by Chandubhai, a philanthropist. With proper medical attention and care, there is a remarkable improvement in Anuj’s health.




Child Labour

Mera maalik mujhe din-raat kaam karaata hai.

CHILDLINE has been instrumental in bringing the issue of child labour to fore. Here are some stories.

Bandhua (Bonded Labour) Prevention of Child Labor Act, 1986

INHUMAN CONDITIONS, EXPLOITATION AND MINIMAL SALARY ARE WHAT THESE CHILDREN SUFFERED.

“They were made to work in insufferable conditions without adequate rest or salary.”

“Na khaane ko milta tha, na sone ko.”

(We were not given enough food or sleep.)

An often unnoticed aspect prevalent in developing countries is child labour. Minors are employed for strenuous work by exploiting employers. Four such minors were rescued from inhuman working conditions by CHILDLINE Bhopal. After receiving a call from a concerned individual, our office at Bhopal sent a team to a famous restaurant in Piplani area of Bhopal, where the children were working. The team spoke to the children and consequently the Piplani police was informed. The four children were rescued in a joint operation. While one child had come to the city from Calcutta about six months back, two came from Sagar district and one came from Bina.

The brother of the restaurant owner picked up all four children from the railway station. They were made to work in insufferable conditions without adequate rest or salary. A case under the Prevention of Child Labor Act, 1986 has been registered against the owner and further investigations are awaited.





Haathi ke daant (Pretentious)

ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL. BUT HERE THE GOOD BEGINNING TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE.

“The unending domestic chores were rewarded with severe beatings.”

“Baahar pyaar, aur ghar mein maar.”

(They pretended to love me but used to beat me at home.)

A lot of people have a distinctively double set of standards. Like the Ajwanis who adopted Neela, the 14 year old daughter of a construction worker. She worked as their domestic help. Initially they gave her their name and even admitted her into school. But that was just one side of the story. The truth revealed itself when the abuse of the girl began. The unending domestic chores were rewarded with severe beatings. This went on till Kajal, a resident of the same colony saw marks of abuse on Neela’s body. On probing the child broke down and confessed her plans to run away. Kajal who had heard of CHILDLINE from a TV programme called in.

Accompanied by a social worker from the Bombay House Workers Solidarity, one of our team members went to the Mira Road Police. When the police refused to co-operate, CHILDLINE requested a Juvenile Welfare Board member to intervene. She in turn directed the senior inspector to co-operate. A constable accompanied the CHILDLINE team member to the Ajwani’s house. Initially they resisted but finally gave in due to the police presence. Neela was rescued and sent to the State Observation home in Dongri before being handed over to her mother. The poor mother was unable to look after the child so Neela has been placed under foster care.






Shelter

It is raining, the place under the bridge is flooded...I need a place to stay. The mobile unit of street children, abandoned children and orphans has often approached CHILDLINE for shelter. We try to do everything we can to
give them a home, temporarily or permanently.


Ghar

THEY URGENTLY NEEDED A HOME. AND THERE WAS NONE.

“We immediately went over to the place and brought the two girls to our office.”

“In bachchon ko ghar chaahiye.”

(These children need a home.)

Three children, two girls and a baby boy would have remained homeless, if a parish priest in Chennai hadn’t called CHILDLINE to tell us about them. We immediately went over to the place and brought the two girls to our office. The baby boy was left with some relatives, as it was more important to find a shelter for the girls immediately. The girls were taken to Eden Garden, one of our resource organizations. Thereafter they were admitted to a nearby school. Our staff also arranged for their birth certificates and has constantly followed up to ensure their proper care.




Tyaagit (Abandoned)

PARENTAL ABANDONMENT MADE THESE TWO GIRLS HOMELESS.

“We got in touch with their parents, trying to convince them to take the girls back.”

“Ab hum kahaan jaaye?”

(Now where do we go?)

Rita and Sunaina wanted to go back home. They had run away from home only to find out that the world was not as rosy as they had dreamt. But now, their parents refused to accept the teenagers back into the family. Abandoned and helpless, the girls called up Vardaan, a support organization of CHILDLINE Nagpur and asked for help. We got in touch with their parents, trying to convince them to take the girls back. But to no avail. The girls were then produced before the Juvenile Welfare Board, which ordered their admission to an Observation Home for Girls in Chandrapur, near Nagpur. Although the two girls finally found shelter, the case was instrumental in bringing to the fore the unique problem of parental abandonment and the issue of rehabilitation. It also highlighted the need for an Observation Home
for girls at Nagpur.





Besahaara (Helpless)

SOMETIMES THE PERSON YOU RELY ON MOST CAN TURN ON TO YOU, LEAVING YOU COMPLETELY HELPLESS.

“The mother and child fled and took shelter in a relative’s house for a week.”

“Uska pati use maar raha hai.”

(Her husband is beating her.)

On 16 December, a mother and a three year old child were being beaten by the husband, a daily labourer and an alcoholic. And it became too much to take. Although a concerned adult had already tipped off the CHILDLINE office in Laitumkhrah, we decided to approach the case with caution. We did not interfere as the mother and child fled and took shelter in a relative’s house for a week. We stepped in when the relative, worried about the husband creating trouble, approached our office. The CHILDLINE team took them in for a few days and provided food, shelter and emotional support. In the meanwhile, we followed up the matter regularly and requested the headman of the locality to do the needful. Finally, the team members handed over the mother and child to the husband convincing him on the need to show concern. He was also strictly warned of a legal action against him if he repeated any atrocities on his wife and the child.





Missing / Lost Children

Hello CHILDLINE... I think this child is lost

Sometimes a child may have been lost. Being young, innocent and not knowing their way around the world, they are quite vulnerable and often go missing. CHILDLINE try to help in locating missing or lost children.







Dhokha (Betrayal)

MANI’S FATHER FEARED FOR HIS DAUGHTER’S LIFE. BUT SHE HAD BEEN SMUGGLED TO NEPAL.

“The young girl had been lured into marriage by a Nepali watchman working in a nearby hotel and had been taken to Nepal.”

“Woh meri beti ko bech dega!”

(He will sell my daughter.)

She would have become just another statistics in drug trafficking cases. But timely intervention and efforts of CHILDLINE team prevented 14 year old Mani’s life turning into a living hell. Mani’s worried father, seeking help to find his missing child, called our Chennai office. The father had made some preliminary enquiries, only to find that the young girl had been lured into marriage by a Nepali watchman working in a nearby hotel and had been taken to Nepal. Our team managed to get a contact number of the watchman in Nepal. Mani answered the phone but had no knowledge of her whereabouts or even the fact that she was even outside India. Afraid that she will be led into trafficking, our team registered a case with the Chennai police and constantly followed up with the police and authorities. They also made efforts to network with organisations working in Nepal to be able to follow up on Mani. With help from the Nepal police, the girl was rescued from a district near Kathmandu and brought back to Chennai. The girl had not only betrayed she had already lived through a harrowing experience of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her abductor. Finally, her nightmare came to an end when with the help of the City and Centre coordinator Mani was rescued and brought back to her family.





Laxmi Ka Ghar (Laxmi’s home)

SHE KNEW HER HOME WAS ON THE BYPASS ROAD. BUT THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO FIND HER PARENTS.

“She remembered nothing about her address except that she lived on ‘Bypass Road’.”

“Mera ghar Bypass Road par kahin hai.”

(My home is somewhere on the Bypass Road)

The entire 25 kms stretch of the ‘Bypass Road’ had been scanned but little Laxmi was unable to find her home. The inconsolable child wept and wanted to go home. And only had the CHILDLINE team to take care of her. We had been informed about the lost child by the police who had found her lost and crying. Apparently, eight year old Laxmi had boarded the bus to Vijaywada to sell her wares but got lost on her way. She remembered nothing about her address except that she lived on ‘Bypass Road’. But even after searching for a long time, her home could not be found. So our team gave her temporary shelter and announced her details on the All India radio. Fortunately, one of Laxmi’s relatives heard the announcement and informed her parents who in turn approached the local police station and through them the CL center. Little Laxmi is now safely back with her parents and keeps in touch with CL.




Das Saal Baad (After 10 Years)

IT COULD BE THEIR LONG LOST SON, OR THE CHILD OF ANOTHER CLAIMANT.

“The woman and her relatives interacted with the child and were convinced that the boy was her eldest son, who was missing.”

“Yeh hamara khoya hua beta hai.”

(He is our lost son.)

He barely knew his name. Mentally challenged and homeless, he wandered about in search of shelter. The child finally came across the Vicar of Valiyaveli, Fr. Joseph who telephoned CHILDLINE Thiruvananthapuram on 3rd October 2002 telling them about the boy. Our team requested him to send over the child to its office.

The priest accompanied the child to the CHILDLINE office. Our team members gave the boy aid, shelter, food and clothes. Later, carrying his photograph, the team members conducted an extensive search in Thiruvananthapuram’s coastal area to identify the child’s family.

Not being successful in that effort, we published a photograph of the child with a description in leading local dailies on 2nd November 2002. A woman Mrs. Leela responded to the photograph and came to the CHILDLINE office along with her relatives on the afternoon of 3rd November. The woman and her relatives interacted with the child and were convinced that the boy was her eldest son, who was missing from 16th January 1992 from Parassala, the southern end of Thiruvananthapuram district. A complaint had been lodged with the local police station.

The child was entrusted to them for two days for verification. They were asked to bring back the child after two days with all required certificates. The drama built up when the same evening, another woman, Mrs. Girija, accompanied by a police constable, came in search of the boy. They were asked to come back on 5th November to meet the child.

On 5th November, Mrs. Leela, accompanied by her husband Mr. Sikhamani and a relative Mr. Devraj, brought the boy back to the CHILDLINE office. They confirmed that the child was indeed their lost eldest son. They were however, asked to keep the child at the shelter home for one more day to enable verification by Mrs.Girija and the local police. Mr. Sikhamani and Mrs. Leela were also requested to produce identification from the school register and a copy of the police station complaint. A request for the latter was also sent to the Parassala police station.

The climax of the event came in the evening when Mrs. Girija and her relatives from Nedumangadu came to the shelter and met the boy. They informed us that the boy was not their lost child.

Next day the eager parents and their relatives came with the necessary certificates to formally receive the child. Finally, after over a decade, Mr. Sikhamani and Mrs. Leela were reunited with their lost child.




Repatriation

Hello uncle ... mujhe ghar jana hai.

Children are very sensitive and sometimes out of a whim or in a fit of rage, run away from home. But when they are faced with the harsh realities of the world outside home, they often want to go back. In other cases, the child might have been lost. We try to send them home using our network.


Lamba Raasta (Long Way)

IT WAS A LONG WAY HOME FOR THE CHILD FROM ACROSS THE BORDER.

“But his way back home became an endless journey.”

“Mujhe ghar bhej do.”

(Send me home.)

He wanted to go home. Alone. But got lost on the way. That’s when on 6th July 2002, CHILDLINE Kolkata staff doing rounds at Howrah station observed eleven-year-old Shomu from Bhutan roaming on the platform with two Nepali children. The staff took the child to the Howrah G.R.P.S. But the child was handed back to the CHILDLINE team for safe custody and repatriation. During counseling the child revealed that he studied at Kajigumpha, Mysore in Karnataka. After completing three years of education he was supposed to go back home.

But his way back home became an endless journey when first landed in Bangalore, and then wandered off to Madras and from there he came to Howrah station. However when we contacted our team at CHILDLINE Bangalore they revealed that they could not locate Kajigumpha. Our Kolkata team then contacted the Royal Government of Bhutan and informed them about the child. On 29th July 2002 their liaison officer came to the CHILDLINE office and spoke to the child. Later the Bhutan consulate officers came and took the child away on 30th July in order to repatriate him.





Faraar (Escape)

SHE HAD TO ESCAPE FROM THE CLUTCHES OF HER KIDNAPPER.

“She ran away from his house and boarded a train.”

“Woh mujhe bechna chaahta tha.”

(He wanted to sell me.)

A middle aged man kidnapped her when she was on her way back from Nagpur to her home in Chandur. Dragged helplessly to various places, Sujata struggled for her freedom as her captivator tried to sell her. He finally brought her to Indore. It was here that the girl got a chance to escape when he was sleeping. She ran away from his house and boarded a train. She got off at Fatehabad where an old man found her begging and handed her over to the police. The Railway Police took her to CHILDLINE Indore who in turn contacted CHILDLINE Nagpur. Our team at Nagpur managed to locate Sujata’s address. Sujata was finally rescued from her nightmare and repatriated safely back to her home in Nagpur.




Protection from abuse

I am being beaten with firewood, I can’t take it anymore.

We have a non-negotiable stand on abuse. We have prevented or rescued children from abuse on many occasions. We seek to involve the police in all our attempts to prevent or end abuse.


 

Mohini Ki Vyatha (Mohini’s pain)

SHE WORKED ALL DAY AND NIGHT, ONLY TO BE BEATEN BY HER EMPLOYERS.

“Once again, two of our team members went to the house and actually caught the eldest son of the house beating Mohini.”

“Mujhe bahut maarte hain…”

(They beat me badly.)

Domestic helpers are amongst the worst receivers of abuse from the employers. One more such case came to our notice when on 20th September 2002, a woman called up CHILDLINE Guwahati to report the physical abuse of a girl child working as a domestic help in her neighbour’s residence. Our team immediately reached to place to inquire. They were told that the girl was from the Nalbari district of Assam and had been working with the owners of the house for 4 years. The employers denied that they had abused the girl, saying that they treated her well, but sometimes corrected her for her mistakes by slapping her. But on speaking to the child, a totally different story emerged.

Sobbing and shivering from fear, Mohan revealed that she was indeed physically abused by her employers. Her body also showed tell tale marks of torture. The owners were asked to hand over the girl to her mother and to bring the child to the CHILDLINE office immediately.

No sooner had the team left the spot, the girl was subjected to further torture by the family members. The CHILDLINE team was informed about this on the same day. Once again, two of our team members went to the house and actually caught the eldest son of the house beating Mohini. They first rescued the girl child and then warned the abuser of the legal consequences. But instead of feeling sorry for his actions, he challenged the team members. The members in turn quickly informed the CHILDLINE office. On receiving this information, the centre coordinator went to the place accompanied by some police officers from the Birubari police outpost.

At that point the head of the family returned. He apologised and promised to do anything for the child as deemed necessary by CHILDLINE. The child was rescued and kept at Assam Sishu Kalyan Sadan. On 22nd September 2002 the employers accompanied by the child’s mother, came to our office. They were asked to pay Rs. 4600/- as compensation and also asked to give in writing that the family members would not repeat such behaviour with any child. Mohini was returned to her mother. The Birubari police appreciated CHILDLINE Guwahati for its quick intervention in preventing any further violence against the hapless child.




Darr (Fear)

IT WASN’T AN OUTSIDER SHE WAS AFRAID OF BUT HER OWN FATHER.

“Her mother confided that due to the fear of the father the child was better off away from her home.”

"Uska baapu use maar daalega.”

(Her father will kill her.)

It isn’t always a homeless street child who is more vulnerable to physical abuse. Sometimes the very family that the child relies on turns against them. As it happened in the case of Sheela, a teenager, who was at the receiving end of serious abuse from her own father. In November 2000, Goa CHILDLINE received a call from a concerned adult, telling them about Sheela. When our team rescued the child with the help of the local police, she still had tell tale nail marks on her face. Sheela was accompanied by her mother who confided that due to the fear of the father the child was better off away from her home. Since the girl was nearly a major, she filed an FIR against her father and decided to leave the house temporarily. She underwent ravelledg and psychological tests during the month she stayed at the shelter. After a month she decided to go back home and work out things with her father. She now lives with her family and regularly kept in touch with the centre.





Sauda (Trade)

SHE WAS TRADED FOR MONEY. AND WENT THROUGH A HARROWING EXPERIENCE OF SEXUAL ABUSE.

“But no girl that matched her description was to be found.”

“Hamaari beti ko bachaa leejiye.”

(Please save our daughter.)

A job was supposed to be waiting for her at Pune. But as she ravelled 226 Kms from Hyderabad to what she dreamt would be a better life, Shabnam had no clue what she was being lured into. The case came to our notice when our office in Pune received a call asking for help to rescue the child from sexual abuse.

Her parents had set the ball rolling by contacting an organization working on the issue of trafficking in Hyderabad. The organization immediately contacted its partner organization in Mumbai, who in turn contacted CHILDLINE Pune to search for Shabnam in the red light area of the city.

Our team member raided the place with the support of the local police. But no girl that matched her description was to be found. After an exchange of emails between Pune, Mumbai and Hyderabad, Shabnam’s father along with the members of the Hyderabad organization came to Pune to search for her. They were housed with another partner organization in Pune that worked on the issue of child trafficking. WE went back to the red light area with the police and with the help of Shabnam’s father and her photograph, were able to find the trapped girl. In this process we rescued several other minor girls from the brothel. A lady advocate based in Pune, helped CHILDLINE with the legal proceedings and networks of prevention of child abuse, based in Hyderabad and Mumbai, provided intervention inputs in terms of intervention steps. Shabnam was medically examined with the help of the General Hospital and finally reunited with her family. Our team is continuously following up with efforts to repatriate and rehabilitate her, which includes active linkages with CHILDLINE Hyderabad.

Emotional support and guidance

Mein ghar pe akela hun…mujhe dar lag raha hai.

Children need a lot of emotional support and guidance while growing up. A lot of their queries need to be addressed. We try to help by offering some counseling services or at least, offer suggestions about where it can be found.

Saahas (Courage)
DINESH NEEDED SOME GUIDANCE. AND GOT IT AT CHILDLINE.

“He had difficulty concentrating on his studies.”

Just having someone to talk to can be very encouraging sometimes. Especially when a child in his formative years needs to build up courage to face the life ahead of him. But unfortunately, with the increasing pressures of the modern life, people have lesser time to talk to and listen to even the children in their homes. And Dinesh who was studying in Standard IX was one such child who needed to talk. He just wanted some emotional support. He heard about CHILDLINE on TV and rang to say that he had difficulty concentrating on his studies. We patiently heard his dilemma and referred him to a child guidance clinic near his home.




Death

My friend is dead... what do I do?

Many children die lonely, unattended deaths. We often get calls from children or concerned adults to report the death of a street child. We try to ensure that the child does not die, unmourned. Sometimes, a simple memorial ceremony helps affirm other street children of our support.


Hatya (Murder)


RAMESH’S CRIES FOR HELP FELL DEAF EARS AS HIS EMPLOYER BEAT HIM TO DEATH.

“A horrid tale of exploitation and torture came to light.”

“Usse peet peet kar maar dala.”

(He was beaten to death.)

A child had been brutally beaten to death by his employer. And the case had been reported to police and concealed as an accident. Even the parents of the child had accepted their fate and were going to bury the child. And the heinous crime would have gone unreported had it not been for timely intervention from some concerned people. CHILDLINE came to know the sad tale of the child through Fr. Koshy, Director of Navajeevan Bala Bhavan, who called our office on 10th February 2002 at 3.16 pm, and our team about a phone call from a social worker of Cheepurugudem village who had given him information regarding the death of a 14 year old boy who had been beaten by his owner.

The staff member Mr. Sunder Ramaiah went to Cheepirigudem along with the other two representatives of the Forum for Child Rights and APCRAF (Andhra Pradesh Child Rights Advocacy Forum) respectively. [As CL team members had an ID card signed by the Commissioner of Police, we were approached to accompany the others]

When they reached the village at 12 in the night, the boy’s body had already been buried after a post mortem. We then started meeting the people of that village and enquired about the situation. What came to light was a horrid tale of exploitation and torture.

The deceased child, Ramesh, had often been beaten by the owner of the house where he worked as a domestic help. On the day prior to his death too, his employer had ruthlessly beaten the boy. The boy succumbed to his injuries. The owner tried to make it appear as an accidental death. A complaint was lodged with the police to similar effect. It was only when one of the neighbours of the owner revealed that the boy died because of the beatings of the owner that the boy’s parents filed an FIR against the owner and demanded a post mortem.

But that was not all. Ramesh apparently was just one of nearly 40 children doing similar work in that village, two of whom had previously been victims of similar abuse related deaths. The team asked the village people not to engage children for such type of household work.

The team members then met the Circle Inspector of Police, who at first did not cooperate with the investigations. It was only when he was shown the identity card issued by the Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada to the CHILDLINE Team member that he started giving a positive response and took interest in the case. We were informed that he was waiting for the postmortem report and would only be able to take action based on that. But when the team approached the doctor who conducted the postmortem, he did not give the post mortem report for two days, fearing the wrath of the landlord involved in the boy’s death. Finally after long insistence he disclosed the results, which indicated that the cause of death was the direct result of the beatings suffered.

Following this the team met the Dist. Collector and explained the situation. Later Navajeevan in collaboration with them arranged a workshop for those children who were engaged in house hold work, and motivated them to go to the school. The Dist Collector also visited the workshop to chat with the children and encouraged them to go to school. He also sanctioned a special school in Cheepurugudem. The landlord, who killed the boy, was arrested and now is in jail. Unfortunately it was Ramesh’s death that started a chain of events which brought up the issue of child exploitation is the area. Had someone reported such abuse earlier, his death along with the other two deaths could have been averted.




Rajesh Ki Maut (Rajesh’ death)

SOMETIMES CHILDLINE IS INVOLVED IN A PROPER LAST RITES FOR THE UNCLAIMED BODY OF A HOMELESS CHILD

“But fate took an unfortunate turn and the child succumbed to his injury.”

“Woh hamein rail patri par mila.”

(We found him on the rail tracks.)

He might have tried to move. The train was headed straight in his direction. But his semi-drugged body refused to obey him. Rajesh, a Sneha Sadan street child paid the price for being born on the wrong side of human empathy when a train hit him, causing serious injury to the head. CL was called by the nearby youth and the railway authorities, who immediately got Rajesh admitted into a hospital. When our members reached the hospital, Rajesh was in a coma and struggling for his life. The team members talked to people, trying desperately to find out about his whereabouts, his background, or his parents. But nobody knew anything. There was some hope when Rajesh gained consciousness and seemed to improve. The doctors were also hopeful of his recovery. We paid all his hospital bills and even arranged for a 24 hour attendant for him. But fate took an unfortunate turn and the child succumbed to his injury. Since his family was not found, we took the responsibility for the last rites of the child who had died such a painful death.




Calls for information

Hello CHILDLINE, I need some information.

Sometimes we get calls from children or adults who need information regarding various child related specialized services. We do all we can to offer help and information.

Sultana ke liye ghar (A home for Sultana)

IT IS NOT ALWAYS A CHILD IN DISTRESS WHO CALLS US. NOORJEHAN CALLED IN FOR SOME RELEVANT INFORMATION.

“She wanted to know if there were any homes or shelters where she could place Sultana.”

“Mein is bachchi ka khayal nahin rakh pati hoon.”

(I am not able to take care of this child.)

Noorjehan called us about her eight-year-old relative, Sultana. As Noorjehan worked all day, she could not care for her young relative. She wanted to know if there were any homes or shelters where she could place Sultana.

CHILDLINE told Noorjehan of two shelters who would accept Sultana. Noorjehan called two days later to say that Sultana had been accepted by one of them.




Silent calls

Hello…?

Not all callers choose to talk. But we always listen. Even if the child does not speak, we never hang up on them. We believe the child is testing the service, trying to decide whether to call in the future. He might also be checking whether to recommend it to other friends or not. We take these opportunities to talk about CHILDLINE and then hang up after a while.

Chat

“Aaj bahut achha Govinda movie dekha.”

Sometimes children just need to share their loneliness with a friendly voice on the other end of the phone. And we understand only too well that sometimes that’s the best support a child can get.

Gupshup (Conversation)

WE ARE NOT ALWAYS A PART OF A STORY. WE JUST LISTEN TO ONE.

“He told us about how he spent his day and what he ate.”

“Mujhe Karishma bahut achchi lagti hai.”

(I like Karisma a lot.)

Life can be pretty lonely on the street. No one to talk to, no family, no home. It can be maddening. Sometimes, an ear to listen to what these children have to say becomes a luxury for them. At such times, CHILDLINE listens. To the story of the new film that a child called Munna saw, or who were his favorite actor and actress. He told us about how he spent his day and what he ate. He was an individual. He lived and breathed in a metropolitan city where people do not have time for their closest ones, not to mention a lonely child on the street. So Munna talked. And we listened.