New ray of hope for abandoned children

BANGALORE: Twelve-year-old Suhaib, a native of Chitradurga who had lost his mother, was deserted by his father. Though he had relatives to take care of him, he ran away from home and become an addict to smoking and gutkha due to peer pressure and other influences. “My mother used to scold me when I used to steal small things. I did not have a family after she passed away. This camp has given me food, clothes and taught me that things like gutka and smoking will destroy me,” he said. This is the story of one among 19 boys who reunited with their families after attending the one-month deaddiction camp.Although they hailed from different corners of the state,  they had common addictions. These children who dwelled at railway stations, got an early new year gift on Friday, as they reunited with their families. Started in 1992, Saathi, society for assistance to children in difficult situation, conducts month-long camps and works for children, whom they rescue from railway stations. Saathi is present in 6 states across the country. “Our aim is simple. We do not want them to stay back at the station. A child needs to be part of a family,” said Savita Shastri, programme officer, Saathi. The camp gives the child an option if they want to return to their families. If they are still not confident enough, we pay a home visit and monitor the family’s situation. The decision to leave or stay is entirely upto the child,” added Savita. “Children today observe their surroundings very carefully. The option of leaving the decision to them is good. They are capable of taking decisions,” said Pronab Mohanty, Jt. Commissioner of Police (Crime).