Encouraged by the success of two such initiatives earlier this year, a fresh campaign to reunite missing children with their families and guardians will be launched across the country on New Year’s day.
‘Operation Smile-II’ will run from January 1 to January 31, 2016, with the Home Ministry having decided to come up with the initiative following the success of two similar programmes earlier this year when 9,146 children were rescued and rehabilitated under ‘Operation Smile’ with a further 1,972 children recovered under ‘Operation Muskan’.
“It is felt that a similar campaign, ‘Operation Smile-II’, from January 1 to January 31, 2016, be rolled out throughout the country as a follow up to the earlier campaigns,” Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said in a letter to the chief secretaries of all the states.
9,146 children were rescued and rehabilitated under ‘Operation Smile’ with a further 1,972 children recovered under ‘Operation Muskan’.
Calling for effective coordination among the various departments like police and women and child development ministry, the home secretary advised the states to extend all possible help during inter-state rescue operations to ensure proper provision of food and clothing.
It was also suggested that medical aid, professional translators, psychiatrists and shelter homes be provided for rehabilitation and reintegration well before the rescue operation and to ensure that such operations are conducted in strict compliance with the existing legal provisions.
Various activities are being undertaken with respect to the rolling out of ‘Operation Smile-II’, during which children residing in shelter homes, on railway platforms, at bus stands and religious places and on the roads, etc. are to be screened by trained police personnel.
‘Operation Smile-II’ will run from January 1 to January 31, 2016.
Before January, 1, 2016, police personnel in each state are to be properly trained in the methodology of eliciting information from such children tactfully and without making them feel intimidated. Also, they will be told about the various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, Protection of Child Right Act, relevant sections of CrPC and IPC and advisories issued by MHA, etc.
To understand the magnitude of the problem, data with full details of number of cases of missing children will be maintained and shared at the intra-state and inter-state level.
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