Child rights group urges NCPCR to set up WhatsApp helpline for abused children

Key Takeaways

• A child rights group has urged the authorities to introduce a round-the-clock WhatsApp helpline integrated with Google Maps to help rescue abused children and those facing forced labour and eliminate delays that allow traffickers to shift victims.
• The Mahatma Phule Samaj Seva Mandal (MPSSM), in a letter to the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) on Thursday (May 21, 2026), demanded that authorities make it mandatory to launch rescue operations within 24 to 48 hours of receiving geotagged evidence on the proposed helpline.
• “Citizens should be allowed to send geotagged photographs, videos and live locations of children engaged in labour or facing abuse directly to an official WhatsApp number operated by the authorities,” said Pramod Zinjade, the organisation's president.
• “Such a system would help ordinary citizens act as "child rights protectors" by enabling them to report violations instantly through mobile phones without complicated procedures,” he said.
• According to the proposal, once a complaint along with the exact Google Maps location is received, the information should be forwarded to the local police, Labour Department and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for action.