Childline sets record straight
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 02 2014 : Reacting to a news report published in this paper on April 30 regarding non-response and dysfunctional telephone number 1098, the Childline Imphal has categorically rejected the same news report as baseless.

A press release issued by the Manipur Mahila Kalyan Samiti which is the collaborative organisation of Childline Imphal said that its phone has been working well for the past 13 years and there was no case of not picking up the phone except when the phone develops technical problems.

The report that the Childline phone was not picked up after 10 pm was also false, it claimed.

Regarding the three young boys who could not be rescued, one Numitlei and Bina came to the office of Childline Imphal at around 11.25 am of April 26 .

As told by Numitlei, one staff of Hotel Orient came and asked her if she could identify three boys who came to the hotel requesting for meals.

The boys said they were from Kwakta and Numitlei hailed from the same place.

At Hotel Orient, the boys told Numitlei that they ran away from their home unable to bear the ill-treatment of their step-mother.

Numitlei took the boys to her home and called Women Action for Development secretary Sobita Mangshatabam who gave her Childline's phone number.

But Numitlei maintained that she found the phone number dead.

However, when a staff of Childline checked Numitlei's dialled numbers, it was found that she dialled 0198 instead of 1098.Then Numitlei was asked to dial 1098 from her phone again and it was found that the phone was working perfectly.

Numitlei said that she was there seeking Childline's help in tracing the wandering boys.

At this, the staff suggested Numitlei to file a missing report at police and the same report may be published in media.

After the boys' names, addresses and names of their parents, Childline staff contacted some acquaintances at Kwakta but none of them could not give any details about the boys.

Nonetheless, Numitlei on April 27 rang up the Childline number saying that one of the boys was found.

Immediately, Childline staff went to Numitlei's home and picked up the boy, added the press release.

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