(ANS – Howrah) – To mark the thirtieth year of work among street children in Kolkata, Don Bosco Ashalyam inaugurated a Railway Childline Service at Howrah, the largest and busiest Railway Station in Eastern India.

The new Assistance Booth is situated adjacent to the Railway Police Force Help Desk on Platform Number 9. It will help lost children or children in difficult situations to be returned to their parents or rehabilitated. The Childline is run by Ashalayam under the aegis of Eastern Railway Authorities.

The Divisional Railway Manager of Howrah, Dr R. Badri Narayan, inaugurated the help desk on 1 July 2015 in front of a group of children from Mayer Asha, Don Bosco Ashalyam as well as several Salesians, volunteers and staff.

The Senior Divisional Security Commissioner (RPF), Mr Saurav Trivedi, was present along with some of his staff. Salesian Vice-Provincial Fr James Mathew and the Rector and Principal of Don Bosco School Park Circus, Fr Jose Pathickal, gave brief messages.

The city program coordinator of Childline, Ms Leena Dasgupta, thanked the railway authorities, well-wishers and children who turned up for the function. The event was planned and organized by the new director of Ashalyam, Fr Alfred Paul, along with his team of collaborators.

The CHILDLINE Project across India is supported by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS).

In 1996, CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF) launched CHILDLINE 1098, the country’s first toll-free tele-helpline for street children in distress. From its inception up to March 2014, a total of 31 million calls were serviced by CHILDLINE. It operates in 291 cities and districts in 31 States and Union Territories through its network of over 540 partner organisations across India.

CHILDLINE in each city operates through a structured network of street and community youth, non-profit organisations, institutions, and concerned individuals.

Each call centre has a team of trained youth who man the telephone lines 24 hours a day. Within 60 minutes (at most) of receiving a call the team rushes to the child and attends to the crisis at hand. It may involve going to a police station, the Juvenile Welfare Board or a hospital. There is a regular follow-up till the child comes through the crisis, after which options for long term rehabilitation are presented to the child.

Published 02/07/2015