The Pratham Council for Vulnerable Children (PCVC - www.pcvc.org) started its outreach program in Mumbai in the year 2001. For almost three years the focus was on working children in the city of Mumbai, who were mainly found to have been trafficked from different parts of the country. Facilitation of the task force formation under the Government of Maharashtra saw the rescue and rehabilitation of almost 25000 working children in the city. It was a felt need to trace the roots of these children and work in the source sending states from where the children belonged. In this view the work was expanded to the source states.

Today, PCVC is operational in 7 states (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa), reaching out to about 15 000 children in urban and rural areas.

 PCVC Objectives

•   Reach out and address issues of all vulnerable children
•   Prevent children from entering the labour market
•  Withdraw child workers and other vulnerable children from work or any exploitative situations
•  Prepare  children to be mainstreamed and sustained into Formal School – Monitor and improve their learning level
•  Raise awareness on child rights issues (child labour, child abuse, disability…)
•  Advocacy with the Government
  
  
  The Council also plays a key role in influencing polices related to working children.  PCVC has become a key partner with state governments in drafting official protocol in dealing with rescued children and advising legislation concerning child labour. In addition, they are working on replicable task force models with the government and advocacy and policy changes to ensure that the cities that they are working in are Child Labour Free.
  
  The PCVC has also set up a number of residential schools to teach children who have been rescued, but whose circumstances do not allow them to return to their families. There are three such schools in Mumbai and three in Bihar.