Mumbai : In a bid to increase children’s safety in the city and the State, the Mumbai Police along with other child safety institutions are helping in ‘Operation Smile – 2’ . The initiative is the brainchild of the Central government and is aimed at tracking down missing children and reuniting them with their family members or rehabilitating in certain cases. The initiative is a part of ‘Operation Muskan’ is a part of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) operated by the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare. A centrally sponsored scheme was rolled out in all states in 2012.
The operation aims to trace missing children who might have run out of their homes due to abuse, fights or pressure. The Mumbai police, in 2015, rescued 1218 juveniles who had run away from various parts in the State and country and come to Mumbai.
The second phase of the operation was launched on January 1 and will be on till January 31.
Sources informed that in 2015, 1,544 children were reported missing in the city. Of them, 908 were minor girls and 636 were boys. The police had managed to trace down 1218 children till November while 326 juveniles are yet to be traced.
Dhananjay Kulkarni, deputy commissioner and Mumbai police spokesperson, said, “As part of ‘Operation Smile-2’, the police will focus on children found begging or rag picking. “Our focus will be to check the background of children who are found begging at traffic signals or railways stations, those sent to children’s home, working at local restaurants or involved in rag picking and other such activities. We will conduct enquiries into individual cases to know how many of them were reported missing,” said Kulkarni.
All city police stations have also been informed to conduct fresh drives focusing on child safety and reducing cases of child trafficking in the city. Police stations have also been asked to focus on clearing old cases, and helping missing children reach back home.
The initiative also has a website www.trackthemissingchild.gov.in wherein people can register complaints about missing children and even report a child they sighted. The website even lists details with pictures of children reported missing from home. This has phone numbers and details which can be used by people who might spot the children somewhere. The website is also available in the form of a mobile application – TrackChild, which helps concerned citizens report a child sighted or even trace a complaint.
