New Delhi, March 27 The Delhi government will launch a city-wide mapping exercise in April to identify vulnerable children, connect them with welfare schemes, and raise awareness about the child helpline number 1098.
The Department of Women and Child Development (WCD), in collaboration with non-profit organizations, will run a campaign across slum areas to educate residents about available support systems.
Official data shows that following the merger of the child helpline with the emergency number 112 in 2023, as many as 218,699 complaints were received between 2023 and 2025, of which 14,684 cases were referred to District Child Protection Units (DCPUs).
These included cases of child abuse (4,249), counselling support (1,951), missing children (1,984), and child-family issues (1,114).
Sanjay Gupta, director of Chetna NGO, said that the integration with 112 has led to a decrease in direct registrations, as many callers now dial emergency numbers, resulting in gaps in reporting.
A recent meeting between the NGO and the department led to a multi-stakeholder consultation aimed at improving coordination between government agencies and civil society organizations, and strengthening efforts to make Delhi more child-friendly, he said.
An official said that the consultation was necessitated by emerging concerns and operational challenges in the child protection system, including a rise in missing children, documentation barriers – particularly in Aadhaar enrolment – gaps in follow-up and reintegration after family reunification, and limited awareness at the community level about child protection services and reporting mechanisms.
The WCD department, along with Samagra Shiksha Delhi, NGOs and other stakeholders, is also working to identify out-of-school children and ensure their enrolment in schools.
As part of the initiative, 104 stakeholders, including officials from WCD, the Child Helpline, Child Welfare Committees, the Juvenile Justice Board, and civil society groups, are participating in the consultation process.
The engagement aims to improve coordination, address systemic gaps, and develop a shared roadmap to strengthen child protection services across the city, Gupta said.