Separated siblings find each other after a decade

Separated siblings find each other after a decade

Mangalore Today News Network

Jan 17, 2018: It was an emotional reunion that did better than movies with similar scripts: siblings separated during childhood meeting after over a decade. On Jan 16, Tuesday in Hassan, a boy and his sister, separated following the death of their parents over 10 years ago, came face to face with the help of the Child Welfare Committee of Hassan.

While Bharati, now 13, had to work in a coffee planter’s house in Sakleshpur, her brother, Maruti, 16, was fortunate to be well-looked after by a family in Malali village near Shantigrama in Hassan taluk.

The CWC began efforts to reunite them after it received a complaint of child labour in Sakleshpur on January 1. The Child Helpline volunteers rescued Bharati and brought her to the CWC. During an interaction with the girl, the CWC learnt that the girl had no relatives except a brother. “The girl could hardly remember her days with her brother. All that we could gather from her was that she had been living with her brother in a village near Shantigrama. She remembered playing near a temple and school ground next to that,” said H.T. Komala, president of the CWC.

The girl was then taken to villages around Shantigrama and when she reached Malali village, things looked familiar. “After interacting with villagers, the committee found that a boy, Maruti, was with the family of Gowdegowda,” said V. Geetha, member of the CWC. The boy was not at home that day.

“When Maruti walked into the office on Jan 16, Tuesday, the brother and sister broke down. They were in tears and they could recollect their past,” Ms. Geetha said. Maruti said hat after their parents passed away, one of their aunts was looking after them. But she abandoned them in front of the temple at Malali. “Fortunately, the Gowdegowda family came forward to look after me. A woman took care of my sister. But, within a couple of months, she went missing,” he recalled.

Bharati said she had to work hard in the woman’s house.  As she could not stay there any longer, she escaped and contacted the Child Helpline, with the help of a neighbour.

“We will book a case against her employer in Sakleshpur under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act. The girl will be kept in the government girl’s home as of now, as her brother is still a minor,” Ms. Geeta said.