WHY THE CHILD MAY RUN?

Rise in cases of runaway children worries police

Cops say in the past month several children have left home over ‘trivial’ reasons such as being scolded or wanting to miss an upcoming examination

MUMBAI: On October 18, two 15year-olds from Nashik were found wandering about CST station “wanting to see the city”. On October 15, the railway police found two 10-year-olds who had run away from their Dharavi homes after being scolded by their parents. Nine-year-old Aditya Sathiyaraj spent a large part of the month drifting through Mumbai after his father punished him, but was later rescued from Chunabhatti.
Over the past few weeks, the police have come across several cases in which children have run away from their homes over seemingly trivial reasons that include not wanting to study or wanting to avoid an approaching examination.

“Normally, children who run away come back on their own after realising they cannot sustain themselves beyond a few days. However, there is a possibility a child who is alone and vulnerable might fall into the wrong hands,” said Dattatraya Karale, DCP (zone 4). “Hence, such cases must be tracked down as soon as they are reported. Most are traced as they normally fall short of money and contact relatives or friends within a few days.”
In Aditya’s case, the 9-year-old ran away from his Sion residence, and wandered about “aimlessly for a few days”. He told the police that he stayed with a family that did not allow him to leave the house, but later managed to escape. While the police are not completely convinced by his story, it has definitely aroused their suspicions and they hope to track down the “family” once Aditya is in a position to speak at ease.
A police officer on the condition of anonymity blamed television for the surge in the number of children choosing to run away at the slightest provocation. “Children watch these things in movies and on TV. That’s where they get the idea to run away from,” the officer said.

WHAT EXPERTS SAY

WHY THE CHILD MAY RUN
Many children who run away from home or express the wish to do could be suffering from depression or other psychiatric disorders, Dr Manoj Bhatawdekar, a consulting psychiatrist, says

there are many reasons a child might run away:

• There might be a problem with the child’s coping mechanism.
• It is an expression of opposition from the child meant to attract attention of the parent. They could be depressed 
• A bad home environment such as broken families, alcoholism, unduly strict parents 

WHAT PARENTS CAN DO

• Instead of focusing on the child’s discipline, the parent needs to first understand that the child might be troubled and needs some positive reinforcement.
• When the child is disturbed in an obvious way — is withdrawn or loses weight quickly, parents should seek support.
• Channels of communication should be open so the child can verbalise any problems. Listening to the child and not being aggressive will help.
• Parents should consider sending their child for counselling.

IN RECENT TIMES

the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at CST station rescued two runaway girls, both 15 years old, who had come from Nashik and were found wandering about the station. When questioned, the girls said they had wanted to see Mumbai and hence came to the city without telling their parents.

On October 3,
14-year-old Salouni Sawant ran away from home after being reprimanded by her parents for not being ready for her exams. The family claimed they did not realise she would react so strongly to being scolded. The girl had acted similarly a year ago, but was found within few days.

‘I did not know that my words would affect him so strongly’

I am so relieved he is back. He is still a bit scared. We have resumed his daily schedule so he can feel a sense of normalcy.

father of a 9-year-old boy

MUMBAI: A father’s desperate measures to trace his son helped re-unite him with the nine-year-old who went missing on October 6. Sathiyaraj Devraj pasted thousands of photographs of his son Aditya across the city and at railway stations. After locals identified him, the police tracked him down at Chunabhatti.
Aditya, a Class 4 student, had run away after Sathiyaraj asked him to stand outside the house for lying to him. Aditya’s mother had passed away three years ago, and he lived with his father and grandparents.
The altercation broke out after Aditya told Sathiyaraj that he had come home late as he was at tuitions when he actually wasn’t. “I just wanted to ensure that he does not lie again, so I told him to stand outside. I answered a phone call, then came to the door to call him in, but he was gone. I had no idea my punishment would affected him so strongly,” said Sathiyaraj.

Every moment from then on was a “nightmare” for Sathiyaraj, until 9pm on Thursday night when his son was found.
“I am so relieved he is back. He is still a bit scared. We have resumed his daily schedule, so he can feel a sense of normalcy,” he added.
The family is planning to arrange counselling sessions for Aditya. “We want to ensure this has not scarred him. We also want to know if anything else is bothering him,” Sathiyaraj said.