Operation Nanhe Farishte, which translates to “Little Angels,” is a Railway Protection Force (RPF) program in India aimed at rescuing and reuniting children found in distress or suspicious situations at the railway stations and on trains. This operation aims to protect children from harm through actions such as trafficking, child labour, exploitation, etc.
Taking the above into consideration, below draws a relationship we have started or are hoping to establish with Operation Nanhe Farishte:
- Rescuing and reuniting:
The activity primarily involves rescuing children found in distress and reuniting them with their families. - Safeguarding:
An overarching goal for the operation is essentially underpinning children from becoming inadvertently trafficked, or otherwise exploited for child labour or as prospective child labourers. - Role of the RPF:
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) removes identified youth in distress, as the RPF are responsible for finding and rescuing children that are lost, in distress or any other suspicious way and placing them under the care of the District Child Welfare Committee. - Role of the District Child Welfare Committee:
The role of the committee is to pursue the child’s parents and subsequently present them to their families. - Ex место All Zones of Indian Railways:
The activity is adopted in all Zones of Indian Railways.on ground level, personnel (RPF) working in stations and on trains have been trained to identify people that are youth at risk. - Large number of rescues:
At the time of writing this position paper, over 84,119 children had been rescued by Operation Nanhe Farishte in the last seven years (2018-May 2024), PIB.
