NEW DELHI: The Delhi government plans to roll out a citywide mapping exercise in April to identify vulnerable children, link them with welfare schemes and boost awareness about the child helpline number 1098.
The Department of Women and Child Development (WCD), in collaboration with non-profit organisations, will run a campaign across slum areas to sensitise residents about available support systems.
Official data shows that following the merger of the child helpline with the emergency number 112 in 2023, as many as 218,699 complaints were received between 2023 and 2025, of which 14,684 cases were referred to District Child Protection Units (DCPUs).
These included child abuse (4,249), counselling support (1,951), missing children (1,984) and child-family issues (1,114).
Sanjay Gupta, director of Chetna NGO, said the integration with the emergency number 112 has led to a drop in direct registrations, as many callers now dial the number, resulting in gaps in reporting.
A recent meeting between the NGO and the department led to a multi-stakeholder consultation aimed at improving coordination between government agencies and civil society organisations and strengthening efforts to make Delhi more child-friendly, he said.
An official in the department said the consultation was necessitated by emerging concerns and operational challenges in the child protection system, including a rise in missing children; documentation barriers—particularly in Aadhaar enrolment.
Work in progress
WCD dept, along with Samagra Shiksha Delhi, NGOs, is also working to identify out-of-school children and ensure their enrolment in schools. It aims to improve and address systemic gaps.