When a child leaves home, with nowhere to go, it is probably the most horrifying experience that any parent would go through. And it certainly is the happiest of experience for them if the child returns home. The Jharkhand Police is doing exactly the same – bringing back children to their homes under Operation Muskaan.
But ever thought what these children go through while they are away from their homes? Here are few such tales that depict the horror that such children experience:
8-year-old who worked at slaughter house:
He left his school while studying in standard 1, as his parents could not afford his education. While his father works as a mason, his mother is a daily-wage construction labourer. Their income was certainly not enough to make their ends meet.
Perturbed by the situations at his home, Ram (name changed) decided to run away, only to land a job at a slaughter house in Ranchi.
His job was cutting chickens, from 7 to 10 in morning and 3 to 7 in evening. And all that he earned from his job was Rs 50 per day.
But thanks to Dhurwa police, which rescued him under the second stage of Operation Muskaan. Ram is back with his family, and this time he is pursuing his education with the help of state authorities.
Two friends who ran away with Rs 3000:
He was angry with his parents as they had beaten him, and decided to run away with another 9-year-old. Hailing from Ramgarh district, Diwakar (name changed) stole Rs 3000 from his home and ran away to Howrah in West Bengal. With no work at hand, the two kids roamed around the streets of Howrah throughout the day and would spend sleepless nights on railway platforms. They went on to pass days like this for two months.
And then came their rescuers, the Jharkhand Police, who rescued both and handed them over to a children home in West Bengal with support from state child helpline. Though the kids had to spend as much as seven months in the children home, they were ultimately brought back to their homes by the Jharkhand CID.
10-year-old deployed by parents to work at Dhaba:
Chatra is a Naxal-infested district of Jharkhand, and as the popular perception be, lack of jobs and education is a gruesome reality gripping the region for decades. Like many others in the area, one family was that of Manoj (name changed).
Failing to meet their ends meet, Manoj’s parents decided to shift to the Jharkhand capital and make him work at a Dhaba near Dhurwa bus stand in Ranchi at a salary of Rs 1000 per month.
At the Dhaba, Manoj’s day began at 6 am when the customers began arriving. And the drill used to go on till 4 pm without any break. And this was not all, as after working at Dhaba, Manoj used to visit a nearby ‘haat’ to buy vegetables and returned only to resume the drill at Dhaba, till at least 8 pm. He also used to wash dishes and prepare food.
Operation Muskaan came to his rescue and rescued him for the Dhaba, where he was sent to work by his parents for lack of money.
After being rescued, Manoj narrated the ordeal which compelled his family to take the step of making him slog for Rs 1000 per month. He has four brothers and two sisters, of which two are married. He is, unfortunately, the only one in his family who does not get to go to school. But when asked if he wishes to go to school, his reply was “yes”. Fulfilling his wish now is Bethal Mission Children Home in Ranchi, his new home, which also provides education to him.
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