Over 53K children rescued from child labour, trafficking in India: Report

A staggering 53,651 children were rescued from child labour, trafficking and kidnapping across India in the past year, with nearly 90 per cent trapped in sectors classified as the worst forms of child labour, according to a new report by the Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change (C-LAB) — an initiative of India Child Protection. The report, titled ‘Building the Case for Zero: How Prosecution Acts as a Tipping Point to End Child Labour’, reveals the scale of the crisis and underscores the critical role of prosecution in tackling these crimes.

The data, compiled between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, is based on rescue operations conducted by over 250 partner NGOs under the flagship ‘Access to Justice for Children’ programme of the civil society alliance Just Rights for Children (JRC). These operations, carried out across 418 districts in 24 states and Union Territories, were conducted in close collaboration with law enforcement agencies.

The report identifies 38,388 rescue operations, resulting in the registration of an equal number of FIRs and 5,809 arrests — 85 per cent of which were linked to child labour cases. Telangana emerged as the most proactive state, recording 7,632 raids and 11,063 rescues, followed by Uttar Pradesh (2,469 raids), Rajasthan (2,453) and Madhya Pradesh (2,335). Delhi also featured among the top five, with 2,588 children rescued.

Shockingly, most of the rescued children were found to be engaged in hazardous and exploitative sectors, including spas, massage parlours, orchestras, and other areas linked to prostitution, pornography and sexual exploitation. The report notes that 2,971 children were rescued from sexual exploitation, with West Bengal (1,005), Bihar (454), and Odisha (232) among the states with the highest figures.

The report is a grim reminder that despite being a signatory to UN SDG Target 8.7, which aims to end all forms of child labour by 2025, the world — including India — is falling short. An International Labour Organisation (ILO) report released earlier this year estimated 138 million children worldwide in child labour, of whom 54 million are in hazardous work — making this the first SDG target set to be missed.

The ‘Access to Justice for Children’ programme stands out as one of India’s largest civil society interventions on the issue, assisting in 38,388 prosecutions related to child trafficking, sexual exploitation, kidnapping for labour and begging. In-depth analysis of 27,320 cases shows that 9,595 FIRs and 6,959 General Diary (GD) entries were filed, with 92 percent of GD entries converted into FIRs between 2021 and 2023. States like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan reported 100 percent conversion rates.

However, the report also exposes enforcement gaps. While UP reported high rescue numbers, it saw a significant drop in GD-to-FIR conversion, from 82 per cent to 55 per cent. Similarly, despite high rescues, some states lagged in making arrests — indicating the need for stronger policing and legal follow-through.

To tackle these gaps and move toward sustainable impact, the report recommends launching a National Mission to End Child Labour, setting up district-level child labour task forces and establishing a child labour rehabilitation fund. It also calls for strict, time-bound prosecution, comprehensive rehabilitation policies, state-specific child labour frameworks, and an extension of the SDG 8.7 deadline to 2030. Speaking at the report’s release, Ravi Kant, National Convener of Just Rights for Children, said, “Despite the efforts of the government and civil society, our national resolve to eliminate child labour remains incomplete. The sheer number of children engaged in the worst forms of exploitation is alarming.”