<p class="title">In a first, the railways would set up short stay homes at stations for children found on its premises and in need of immediate care and protection.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As a pilot project, such shelters and help desks will be set up at or adjacent to railway stations in Delhi, Guwahati, Danapur, Samastipur, and Ahmedabad, a senior official of the Railway Board said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 2,000 sq feet shelter home would be able to accommodate around 25 children and provide nutrition, psycho-social and medical aid. It would be "used as a transit in restoring the children with their families" in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act and the POCSO (Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences) Act.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The railway women welfare organisation will be in charge of the project and will sign a memorandum of understanding with child-centric NGOs to be nominated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the board has said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Concerned zonal railways have been asked to allot the required space at these five railway stations. The short stay homes will consist of a 1,000 sq feet dormitory, a 75 sq ft sick room, a 125 sq ft storeroom, two toilets and two bathrooms, it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A 500 sq ft office will be given to the person in charge of the shelter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Railways will provide a caretaker to guard the shelter, which will be built either on the station premises or in a railway owned infrastructure nearby.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The board's decision comes days after railways issued standard operating procedures in collaboration with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights for its staff on child protection.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The national transporter has been holding workshops across zones on how to deal with vulnerable children.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to data, around 35,000 children, who had either left home on their own or were trafficked, were rescued from railway stations or trains in the last four years.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In Delhi alone, 820 trafficked children were rescued from railway stations between January and May this year.</p>
<p class="title">In a first, the railways would set up short stay homes at stations for children found on its premises and in need of immediate care and protection.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As a pilot project, such shelters and help desks will be set up at or adjacent to railway stations in Delhi, Guwahati, Danapur, Samastipur, and Ahmedabad, a senior official of the Railway Board said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 2,000 sq feet shelter home would be able to accommodate around 25 children and provide nutrition, psycho-social and medical aid. It would be "used as a transit in restoring the children with their families" in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act and the POCSO (Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences) Act.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The railway women welfare organisation will be in charge of the project and will sign a memorandum of understanding with child-centric NGOs to be nominated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the board has said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Concerned zonal railways have been asked to allot the required space at these five railway stations. The short stay homes will consist of a 1,000 sq feet dormitory, a 75 sq ft sick room, a 125 sq ft storeroom, two toilets and two bathrooms, it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A 500 sq ft office will be given to the person in charge of the shelter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Railways will provide a caretaker to guard the shelter, which will be built either on the station premises or in a railway owned infrastructure nearby.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The board's decision comes days after railways issued standard operating procedures in collaboration with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights for its staff on child protection.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The national transporter has been holding workshops across zones on how to deal with vulnerable children.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to data, around 35,000 children, who had either left home on their own or were trafficked, were rescued from railway stations or trains in the last four years.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In Delhi alone, 820 trafficked children were rescued from railway stations between January and May this year.</p>