Did ‘Operation Smile’ by the city police to rescue children actually cause trauma to them? Yes, according to an interim report compiled by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and the Concerned for Working Children (CWC) released on Saturday.

Majority of persons, who had been ‘rescued’, were not involved in begging, while children were arbitrarily picked up from the street, even when their parents were nearby.

Most families were not informed that their children had been rescued and parents were not even guided on the procedure for releasing them, the report points out.

On August 6, the police conducted a campaign against begging by minors in the city and rescued 190 children following which the two NGOs took up the study. In over 30 cases, the report prepared by a five-member team observed that ‘Operation Smile’ failed in achieving its stated objectives and it was traumatic for children and parents. At a press conference held here, the members — Darshana Mitra, Pavana V.P., Poorna Ravishankar of PUCL, Kavita Ratna and Nishita K. of CWC — expressed that such operations should be carried out with proper preparation and without humiliating children.

Kavita Ratna, director of advocacy, CWC, said it appeared as if children, who looked poor, were taken into custody without allowing them to explain their case.

In an interaction with parents and children, they alleged that children were abused both physically and psychologically inside shelter homes. “Any child rescue operation should be in their best interest and should achieve the purpose of providing them with better quality of life. In this case, this has clearly not happened in the 30 cases we have observed,” she said.

The interim report pointed out the lack of transparency, coherent and consistent protocols, and also the lack of coordination among various departments involved in the operation.