A teenage girl Farah alighted the train at Anand Vihar Train Station. She had come from Lucknow. She was only about to find her way out of the station and into the streets when Railway Children India’s (RCI’s) alert outreach workers spotted and approached her.
To begin with, the team introduced the organisation and our work to the teenager. Our compassionate team members then asked her about her name and other whereabouts, before helping her with essentials like clean water, meals, clothing, and a comfortable shelter.
She introduced herself as Farah. Sixteen-year-old Farah further detailed her background. Hailing from Sareya, Uttar Pradesh, Farah lived with her parents. After completing the 8th grade, Farah discontinued her studies as her parents did not support her higher education. Instead, she began assisting her mother, a homemaker, with household chores. Her father, Shamsuddin, worked in Ghaziabad installing Wi-Fi in homes, earning a monthly salary of ₹15,000.
Additionally, her family owned 1 bigha of land in the village, where they would farm. Farah had two younger sisters; Ikra, aged 15, who is in the 10th grade, and Falak, aged 8, who is in the 3rd grade.
Farah’s modest household relied on and benefitted from a couple of Government schemes such as “Har Ghar Nal, Har Ghar Jal” scheme and an allowance of 40 kg of food grains every month from the State Government.
What brought Farah to the Anand Vihar Train Station though was a concern plaguing several adolescent girls and boys—a romantic relationship.
Farah had begun developing romantic feelings for her maternal uncle’s son Sameer in the past 2 months. Farah and Sameer wanted to transform their relationship into a marriage. However, Farah’s parents were strictly against it.
Going against her parents’ wishes, Farah plotted a plan to elope and meet Sameer in Delhi.
A few months later, Fatmia left her home and first visited her friend Alka in Lucknow. To avoid drawing any suspicion, Farah told Alka’s parents that she was in the city to look for a job, and that her parents were aware of her whereabouts.
After her stay at Alka’s for 4 days, Farah boarded a train from Lucknow railway station on the same evening and alighted at Anand Vihar railway station the next day.
When asked about Sameer’s whereabouts, Farah shared that he lived in a small rented home with his friends, and worked as a light mechanic, earning Rs. 15,000 per month.
Followed by all her revelations, team RCI contacted Farah’s parents and informed them of her whereabouts. Overwhelmed with relief and emotion, they revealed that they had been desperately searching for her since a few days, but had refrained from filing a missing persons report due to fear of social stigma. Farah’s parents agreed to come to Delhi to bring her back.
Meanwhile, the RCI team ensured that Farah underwent a medical examination with police assistance, and she was temporarily placed in a Child Care Institution (CCI). A written communication was sent to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) regarding her case.
Farah’s father arrived in Delhi. The RCI team counseled him, explaining that Farah’s feelings for Sameer were natural at her age, but that she was too young for marriage. They recommended that he enroll her in vocational training of her choice, so she could become more empowered. Farah was then presented before the CWC along with her father, and the CWC decided to restore her to her father’s custody. The RCI FR team continues to follow up on Farah’s case.
*The name of the child has been changed to protect his/her identity
