37 per cent families in city not happy when runaway children return

In Chennai, about 37% of the families were not happy that their children were reunited, stated the study. 

“In many cases, after being reunited, the child runs repeatedly. At least 20% of the overall families don’t want the child to come back, because the youngster either steals from the home or neighbours or is subject to substance abuse. Many parents are unable to control their children and want them admitted at correctional homes,” R Vidyasagar, former member of Unicef’s child protection unit and author of the study said.  

The study was conducted at railway stations across three locations – Katpadi (Vellore district), Villupuram and Chennai – major junctions that are connected to various parts of Tamil Nadu. 1,599 rescued children – 70% of whom were from Tamil Nadu – were the focus of this study, to understand the situation of the children after they were reunited with their families. Vidyasagar said that almost 50% of the rescued children were from SC/ST backgrounds, often from marginalised households. 

“Most of these rescued children are living in abject poverty, from single-parent or broken households and with no stable means of income. While broken or disjointed families are the main reason, a lack of interest in schooling incites many children to run away. Most of the rescued children are from slum areas, especially in urban locations,” he said. 

Only 55% of the rescued children return to school while most – almost 25% - remain idle. “Older children cannot return to school. What are the opportunities for children who want to make a living? The provisions of skill development training are often poor, having little effect in changing the family’s financial condition.

 Even after they are reunited, the family situation doesn’t change, forcing them to petty crime. There is a critical need to follow-up on all the rescued children and ensure that the family situation is improved – through better skill training programs and family strengthening initiatives. There should be a child protection committee in each village, which often is not the case. Children should be protected at the local level – and it is possible,” he said.