The safety of women and children remains a top priority for the government. While appreciating crucial contribution of Indian Railways in making Rail travel safe for women & children, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has assured the Railways that funding will not be a constraint for its efforts in making the Rail travel safe for women and children. In a landmark initiative to protect vulnerable children found on railway premises nationwide, Railway Protection Force (RPF), in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, has launched an updated Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) at Rail Bhawan in New Delhi on 25.10.2024. This comprehensive SOP outlines a robust framework for safeguarding children who come into contact with Indian Railways.

During the launch of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Shri Anil Malik, Secretary, MoWCD, praised Indian Railways for its initiatives to enhance the safety and security of juveniles through measures like installing CCTV and face recognition technology at upgraded railway stations. With over 2.3 crore passengers traveling by rail each day, including 30 percent women—many of whom travel alone—there is a pressing need to safeguard vulnerable groups, especially juveniles who risk exploitation by human traffickers. At the event, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) briefed MoWCD officials on the importance of reinforcing Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and urged states such as Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh to establish these units at their railway stations to prevent trafficking and enhance passenger safety.

RPF is undertaking a very proactive role to make sure that its premises are not used by human traffickers to abet the transportation of child. RPF has rescued 57,564 children in last five years from trafficking. Out of them 18,172 were girls. Further the force made sure that 80 percent of these children were reunited with their families. Under the ‘Operation Nanhe Farishte’, RPF has introduced a series of focused initiatives to secure safety of children throughout the railway network. Recognizing the continuing challenge of child trafficking, RPF’s “Operation AAHT” has also been instrumental in rescuing over 2,300 children and apprehending 674 traffickers since 2022. The achievement underscores RPF's relentless dedication to combat trafficking and exploitation.

To safeguard vulnerable children nationwide, Anti-Human Trafficking Unit were to be set up in about 262 stations across the country. But due to lack of cooperation from some Indian states, AHTUs could not be set up there. Secretary, MoWCD agreed to write a letter to these states as a prompt step in this direction. The MoWCD will write letters to these state governments and District Magistrates to set up this unit in the railway stations of the concerned states so that efforts of Railway Protection Force will be made more & more successful.

The Railways is running, “Operation Meri Saheli” for protection of single lady travelling in trains. While appreciating the contribution of RPF in Anti human trafficking activities, Secretary, MoWCD, said that our Ministry is ready to spend fund for the projects aiming at protection of women too. The Government of India had set up a dedicated fund called ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ for implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and security for women in the country. Money can be given from Nirbhaya fund to install CCTV cameras & face recognition system in the stations across the country so as to stop crime against women.

Looking forward, Indian Railways and MoWCD announced expansion of Child Help Desks (CHDs) at major railway stations, strengthening the support network available to children in need. New initiatives and collaborative strategies to ensure the well-being of both children and women within railway premises were also discussed.

With a fresh slogan being released for RPF, "Our Mission: Prevent Child Trafficking on Trains," the Indian Railways reaffirmed its pledge to make railways safe travel experience for all. The revised SOP factors in learning accumulated in last one decade while dealing with the human traffickers. Reflects the unwavering commitment to creating a protective, compassionate environment across its extensive railway network, RPF DG said that keeping the welfare of India’s children is at the core of new SOP.

The enhanced SOP reinforces Indian Railways’ commitment to prevent child exploitation and trafficking by providing a safety net for at-risk children who may have been separated from their families. Originally rolled out in 2015 under Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act and updated in 2021, this SOP has now been further refined following MoWCD's 2022 “Mission Vatsalya,” detailing the roles and responsibilities of railway personnel to identify, assist, and properly document children until they are connected with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).

Director General, RPF, Shri. Manoj Yadava said we are aligning closely with the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act while addressing the pressing need for child protection in the railway premises. Shri Satish Kumar, Chairman and CEO, Railway Board, Shri Anil Malik, Secretary of MoWCD, Shri Ravinder Goyal, Member Operations & Business Development, Railways Board and other senior officers from both the Ministry were present in the SOP launch event.

***

Dharmendra Tewari/Shatrunjay Kumar