Child labourers, rag pickers rescued
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, July 25
The social security, women and child welfare departments today rescued five children involved in rag picking and doing labour in various parts of the city.
The rescued children include two girls, aged 10 and 14, from Bihar. They were working as rag pickers and beggars. The remaining three boys, including one from Uttar Pradesh, were found working in shops. Officials said the kids had been sent to Child Line, a shelter for children in the city.
District Child Development Project officer Manpreet Kaur said, “Though people came to us claiming that the rescued children were from their families, none of them could produce any document to prove the relation.”
She said the children would be handed over only after verification of necessary documents and after they are convinced that the person claiming the child is a family member. The officials believe that the children may have been trafficked from other states to get them into begging or labour.
A team of the Labour Department, officials of State After Care Home, police and administration accompanied the child welfare officials during the day long drive.
Manpreet Kaur said the rescued girls would be sent to Nari Niketan where they would stay till the process was completed. The department had earlier caught five children hailing from Ludhiana who were working as labourers on Sunday. The children were handed over to their families only after their parents furnished documents regarding their parentage.
The department had conducted raids as part of its ongoing national campaign named Muskan to help children living away from their parents. The campaign would continue, she said, adding that people should inform the department if they come across such kids.
