KOCHI: For nearly four months, uncertainty was the constant companion of a 17-year-old girl who had gone missing from Assam. The language barrier made it difficult for police and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Ernakulam to locate her family.
However, at the end of a protracted process involving Childline, Sakhi One Stop Centre, and other agencies, she was handed over to her parents from Hailakandi district of Assam.
“The police found her wandering in the Aluva KSRTC bus stand and handed her over to us. Since then we had been trying to trace her family. She did not speak Hindi. So it was difficult to get her whereabouts, thus delaying the process. However, with the help of several agencies, we were able to send her back with her parents a few days ago,” said Ullas Madhu, chairperson, CWC Ernakulam. The girl had mistakenly boarded the train along with migrant workers and arrived in Aluva.
In 2025, as many as 47 children were identified by CWC Ernakulam. Of these, 35 were handed back to their parents. Three days ago, an 11-year-old boy from Pune arrived at Ernakulam South railway station. Upon investigation, it was found that he boarded the train after a quarrel with his parents and subsequently arrived in Kochi.
“Since his family resides in an urban area, it was easy for us to locate them. The Pune police also supported us. Once his father identified him, he took a flight to Kochi and took his son after submitting the documents.
Amal Saji, a child-rights activist and former Unicef volunteer, said local bodies should also take the initiative to protect such children.
“Ernakulam and Kozhikode report the majority of such cases. Migration is only one of the factors. We should ensure that these children are moved to safe spaces and not exploited. We need counsellors to communicate with children in different languages,” he said, adding that the CWC shelter homes across the state should also be strengthened.
Ernakulam reports many such cases because it is a hub of migrant labour. “Most of the time, we find children from other states wandering in Ernakulam Town, South, and Aluva railway stations. Often, these are cases involving missing children.
However, in some cases, parents abandon children. Since most of the migrant workers are from Jharkhand, Assam, and Odisha, most children found here are from these states. However, to repatriate them, we need the support of police and child welfare units in other states, too,” he said.
Source: Child Welfare Committee