Bengaluru: The city police campaign ‘Operation Smile’, a drive to rescue and rehabilitate children from beggary, seems to have become the opposite, ‘Operation No Smile’
As the Bangalore police’s attempt to rescue children from beggary through a initiative named “Operation Smile’ begun a month ago, has run into some unexpected obstacles. The district rehabilitation centres have been refusing to admit most of these rescued women and children into rehabilitation homes, citing the reason that children should not be separated from their parents in the name of rehabilitation.
Bengaluru’s BOSCO volunteers rescued three siblings begging in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. While the Child Welfare Committee had instructed the State home to admit them, the officials there refused to admit them, saying they were local boys. The volunteers dropped them back home only to find them begging the next day.
In another instance, the volunteers rescued a 23-year-old woman Maarakka from Sirsi who was found begging with her one-year-old toddler. They were also not provided rehabilitation and sent back home. She was forced into begging by her husband after she delivered a baby, sources said. She too is now back on the streets for begging.
“Though there are clear provisions in the Women and Child Welfare Department against begging and rehabilitation, it is not happening in reality. We get frustrated at times when people call the helpline and complain that despite our rescue, the children are found in the same spot begging,” a volunteer said.
An official with the District Child Protection office said that as per the rule, if a person is found begging with a child, he should be brought before the committee, counseled and let off. Anybody can file a complaint if the person is repeating the offence. “There is no provision in the law that the child should be separated from its parents in the name of rehabilitation and hence we follow the rules,” he said.
Photo Caption:
Maarakka who was found begging with her one year old daughter on Mysore circle, at the counseling center.
