Google gives $5 lakh for child safety in India

Global search engine Google on Monday announced $500,000 (Rs.3.2 crore) in grants to promote child safety campaigns in India.

"The grants will support non-profit organisations (NGOs) with smart applications and promote child safety programmes and campaigns in India," the company's Indian subsidiary said in a statement here.

The three non-profit NGOs are Childline India Foundation, Bachpan Bachao Andolan and Tulir.

The three NGOs provide free counselling to children in need of help, rescuing them from slavery, trafficking, sexual abuse and forced labour.

"The grants through Google.org will be used to reach more children and create greater awareness about the need to protect their future," Google India managing director Rajan Anandan said in the statement.

Childline, which provides a free phone service for children in need of help or protection, will develop an online platform to offer its services with the grant.

"As technology plays a key role in transforming lives, we offer support to the three NGOs, which provide safety and protection to the children," Anandan asserted.

Similarly, Google will fund Andolan to create a programme for fighting child sexual abuse and develop an online information site for its mission.

Tulir works to prevent and heal child sexual abuse across the country. It offers a school-based curriculum to help children stay safe, education for professionals working with children and resources for healing victims.

As children's safety and protection is a shared responsibility, the company believes its efforts would have a social impact.

"Children are vulnerable to physical, economic and sexual exploitation at homes, schools and other protective environments," Anandan said.

Globally, the US-based Google has donated over $100 million in grants, $1 billion in technology resources and 80,000 hours of its volunteering to non-profits in 2014.

"The Google grant will enable us to spread awareness among children and parents and make them active participants and torch-bearers in their protection," Andolan chairperson R.S. Chaurasia said on the occasion.

Childline India Foundation executive director Anjaiah Pandiri said 39 percent of the 1.2-billion people were children below 18 years and 40 percent of them were marginalized for various reasons.

"Vast number of children are accessing internet and using mobiles, which are connected to the net. Google's support in strengthening and expanding our range of programmes is much needed for impacting their lives positively," Pandiri noted.

Founded in 1998 by Stanford research students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google is a top web property in all major global markets.