Railway ChildLine receives 267 calls of runaway children
   Date :13-May-2019
By Alka Panse-Tiwari
A majority of children ran away from their homes due to family dispute, single parenting, poverty, domestic issues, love affairs, attraction towards travel, etc
 
 
Regular disputes among parents, their quarrels over petty issues almost daily and perceived lack of attention towards her in growing years prompted 14-year-old Ankita (name changed) to seek solace in the outside world. So one fine day, Ankita packed her belongings in small bag and left home. Yes, she was now a runaway child, notwithstanding the fact that she was a student of a reputed school in Wardha.
 
 
Ankita was in SSC at that time and tension of studies too contributed to her disturbance and parents’ lack of attention was the final nail in the coffin. The disturbed atmosphere at home prompted Ankita to step out of home to find some love and peace. She wandered from places to places, staying put on railway platforms for a week. Luckily for her, some noble person sighted her before Ankita landed in some serious trouble. The person called the ChildLine number 1098 and that proved to be a turning point in Ankita’s life.
 
 
For several teenagers like Ankita, ChildLine is home away from home, one that can make or mar one’s life in times of such trouble, especially in the heat of moment when children run away from home not knowing the dangers in the outside world. Another case is that of 15-year-old boy from Raipur. He left home in a fit of rage after parents scolded him for some mischief. His mistake was poor performance in examination. On top of that frequent comparison with other children drove him mad.