In this article, Karan Singh of JGLS discusses How to help child beggars in India.
“A BEGGAR’S DREAM, A HELPING HAND”- BRADLEY B. DALINA
Introduction
Do you know about 3,00,000 children are forced to beg by cartels? They are been drugged, beaten and forced to beg everyday.[1] This cartel is controlled by human trafficking cartels. And yes human trafficking cartel is a multi-million rupee industry. The money you give to the child beggars goes to these cartels and mafias. Every year 100s of children are brought from Bihar and Rajasthan and forced to beg on streets and in Indian railway.
Recently, the state government of Odisha has directed the Women and Child Welfare Department to rescue and rehabilitate the child beggars. The Odisha childline rescued 12 child beggars from different parts of the cities. 18 minors were also rescued from railway station, bus stand etc.[2]
We read so many news headlines where it is proved that behind all the child beggars it is either mafia or a racket is going on. But how to stop this thing from happening? A single person can’t stop this but if the government wants they can change this and children can have a further that they want.
In Andhra Pradesh, one person has taken these child beggars and provided these kids with everything. His name is J Rama Chandra Sarath Babu aka Sarath Babu former clerk in Indian Railways. He is the father of 120 children. Sarath Babu is running an ashram in Nellore district for the children who beg and steal on railway platforms since 1994. He not only educate them but also makes their lives better by providing food, shelter and basic necessities. How did he start all this? When he was employed in the Indian Railway, he could see children begging, stealing getting beaten by cops. He always wanted to do something for them but he could because he didn’t have that much money.
He got support from villagers and decided to give 4.5 acres of land to build this ashram. Today, child ashram is one of the good school in Nellore. Sarath is managing this ashram for the last 22 years with the help of donation. [3]
If you help others then others will help you. You should not avoid situations where a child begs in front of you. We all have seen a woman and a child. A woman with a child is a major draw and the chances of the people giving out money are more likely. But no-one knows the truth behind that sleeping child. Children are given a glass of milk in the morning because of which the child sleeps all day. This is not because of the milk, it is because of the drug that is mixed with the milk. Yes, a drug is mixed with the milk so that child sleep all day and woman can beg in peace. Crying baby for these persons is a nuisance.[4]
Causes of children crisis in India: One of the most famous NGO in Jaipur i-India explains the causes of this crisis. The following are the causes of child crisis:
Abuse: Many children run away from their house because of the abuse they experience. some children are beaten and sexually abused. Their homeless children can get further abused through exploitative child labour and prostitution. As per i-India, many of the abused children they encounter are traumatized and do not speak for months. They even take years to recover in the NGO whereas it may never heal on the streets.
Child Labour: In India, children work to earn money so that they can support their family. As young as 6 years old works on the streets or on the railway platforms. Even on railways children work on the platform. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 states employing children (below 14 years) has been prohibited in all occupations and processes, with certain limited exceptions.
Gender Discrimination: In Indian Society, females are often get discriminated because of the liability of dowry. Parents often want a male child. Many girl children are aborted, abandoned or neglected by their parents which lead them on streets. The literacy rate in India for the woman is only 38% because people in India think that girls place is at home and should not work.India is the most unequal for men and women.Because of gender discrimination, the girl child is forced to go into prostitution, or are forced to beg.
Homelessness: In India, children are homeless because of many reasons like poverty, or because many families in India are homeless. A Homeless child is a continuous threat of many risks. A single child is kidnapped by people who run this racket and these children are either forced to beg or are beaten by them.
Poverty: Poverty is the main cause of child beggars. Because of poverty they can’t go to a school or eat proper food. Because of poverty children tend to beg for their families or work as a child labour to earn some money. How can a child study when he doesn’t even have money to have food? According to a report, 224 million Indians live below poverty line.[5]
What can we do if we see a child beggars in Indian railway
There are too many ways to help child beggars in the Indian railway. You can help them through education, food, or providing shelter to them.
If you see a child beggar in Indian railway talk to the railway authority or to police about the child and take action. It’s better to do something than nothing. Children have heard about superheroes but haven’t seen one, be a hero for them so that their life can be changed. Children are god’s gift and they have all the rights to live peacefully. You can help them by supporting them financially or finding their families. Many NGO’s are available for helping these children who beg or steals on the railway. Do you know there is an app to save these children? People of India are working for them and you can support them by donating a certain amount of money. If you see a child beggar in Indian railway they follow these points:
- Talk to railway authorities so that they can provide you nearby NGOs that can help.
- Give the child to the NGO and if possible donate some amount to them for that child.
- You can even talk to police and get help from them.
- Some of the NGOs are provided below and the app for helping a child beggar is also provided:
App for child beggars
An app named Helping Faceless developed by Shashank Singh and Amol Gupta is using technology to fight human trafficking and kidnapping. You simply have to click a picture of the child and upload it on the app. With the help of the picture, a search process will start in order to match them with the previous record. If the match is found then the information will be forwarded to the non-profit organization who will help these children to connect with their families.
Their idea is simple, it is to give power in hand to people to help find missing children.
If you want to contact them click on this link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdW0F_3UXBXD2aVYdujb1sSUD7VmFn48Tb0Eebw2IhRLd9Ksw/viewform.
Or you can mail them on [email protected].
This app is available only on Google play.
Some of the NGO that can help fight against the menace
- Child Ashram Children’s home initiatives for life Development. This Ngo was started by J. Rama Chandra Sarath Babu. His NGO as discussed earlier is situated in Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh. If you find any child begging on Indian Railway near Andhra Pradesh, you can contact them for the child safety. This NGO Is located at CHILD Ashram and School,
Gollapalem Village, North Amulur Panchayat & BO, Allur Mandal & SO, SPSR Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh – 524315, India.
Telephone number as provided is +91 9440375370 and you can write a mail at [email protected]. You can even visit their website, the link for the same is provided here http://www.childashramgp.com.
- Noble Cause Foundation: For a better cause. For a better world. This NGO was founded in the year 2014 by the inspirational words of Winston Churchill- “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Today, Noble Cause Foundation is among the few NGOs of India that is working to improve the lives of people in society and with a mission to ensure health and dignity to the underprivileged.
This NGO is located at Noble Cause Foundation, 216, Sri Hari, First Floor, 14th Main, 2nd Cross, BSK 1st Stage, 2nd Block, Bengaluru – 560050
Telephone number: 080 60504070
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.noblecausefoundation.co.in
- CHETNA- Childhood Enhancement Through Training And Action. For them the only mission who are on the street homeless and are working. For them, these children are exposed to many threats and dangers including child labour, child trafficking, sexual abuse, extreme poverty, physical and mental abuse and homelessness. According to their statistics, a census of India carried out in 2011 found that the total number of children under the age of 18 involved in child labour is 23.8 million. 10.1 million of these children were aged up to 14.
According to United Nations Of the Rights Of Children, all children are born with fundamental rights:
- The Right to Survival – to life, health, nutrition, name, nationality
- Right to Development – to education, care, leisure, recreation, cultural activities
- Right to Protection – from exploitation, abuse, neglect
- Right to Participation – to expression, information, thought, religion
This NGO is located at CHETNA, 40/22 Manohar Kunj, Gautam Nagar, New Delhi
Telephone : +91–11–41644471, 41644470
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.chetnango.org/contact-us/
- Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust (RNCT): This NGO has a project called Safe Kids Foundation was set up in India in October of 2006. This project is for the kids to prevent childhood injury. Accidents kill 1.3 million children annually. Child beggars are the target group as they roam around roads and railway tracks. Safe Kids Foundation started working in the sphere of road safety by launching its First program ‘Walk This Way’ in October 2007. It educates both the school and non-school going children about Pedestrian safety thus spreading awareness of the hazards on the road and on railway tracks.
This NGO is located at Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust, 5th Floor Vasant Vilas, 31, DD Sathye Marg, Mumbai – 400004 India
Ph: + 91 222 387 8930 / 23898930
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.ratnanidhi.org/contact-us/
- I-India: giving street children a future. I-India is a non formal street school to ensure that working children get at least a basic education. Community support is received by I-India. I-India also provide popular and practical vocational training where older children can learn skills while earning some money
I-India, 23 Mahatma Gandhi Nagar, DCM, Ajmer Road, Jaipur 302021, India
Tel: +91-(0)982-815-3317, +91-(0)941-404-8817, +91-(0)141-235-2576
E-Mail: [email protected]
6.Save the Children India: Save the Children works for children for their equality, equal education, equal nutrition, equal health, equal opportunities, gender equality and relief during natural disasters.
They have offices all over India. Mostly in all the states of India.
Address of the head office is provided:
Save the Children, Bal Raksha Bharat
1st & 2nd Floor, Plot No. 91, Sector – 44
Gurgaon (Haryana) – 122003, India
Tel: +91 124 4752000, 4752100
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.savethechildren.in
Conclusion
A single person can’t change everything but helping one child can make a difference. If everyone helps at least one child then in future the ratio of child beggars will be few. You can stop these rackets and mafia gangs who run these child beggars racket. Also, paying these child money means that you are supporting these rackets. Do not pay money to them, it is equal to destroying their lives. Help them a reasonable manner. DO NOT SUPPORT THESE HUMAN TRAFFICKING CARTELS.
References
[1]http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-300000-children-across-india-are-forced-to-beg-by-cartels-report-2218856
[2]http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2017/jul/03/drive-against-child-beggars-1623511.html
[3]http://www.indiatimes.com/news/sarath-babu-former-clerk-in-indian-railways-is-father-to-over-120-children-264454.html
[4]http://www.oneindia.com/india/the-begging-racket-of-bengaluru-and-the-mafia-behind-it-1830903.html
[5] http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2016/oct/11/224-mn-indians-live-below-poverty-line-wb-1526883.html
I tried downloading the App helping Faceless but unable to find it on Google play store.. Also I emailed them but the mail bounced back singe the ID is not reachable.. Have the app been discontinued?
According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), approx. 40 % food worth $165 billion get wasted yearly. In fact, we could have provided a 2,000-calorie diet to the 84% of the American population if we were able to recover the wasted food. It is a painful fact that most of the food wastage happens after harvesting.
IoT (Internet of Things) is already putting a major dent to this and has potential to solve world hunger. It’s a multidimensional problem and requires a comprehensive IoT solution to crack it. We predict that by end of 2019 the world will be dependent on IoT technology regarding food safety, IoT technology will tell us if the food on our plate is safe to consume or not. e-Nose, powered by IoT will be entrusted even more than a human nose.