SDM Rajouri Garden along with Bachpan Bachao Andolan rescue 38 child labours in Delhi’s Kirti Nagar area
New Delhi: In a major development a joint operation led by the SDM Rajouri Garden, along with Bachpan Bachao Andolan – founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and law enforcement agencies including Delhi Police, Labour Department, and ChildLine have rescued 38 child labours from over 10 business establishments mostly carpentry and furniture making units in Kirti Nagar area in Delhi. Bachpan Bachao Andolan’s partner organization Bal Vikas Dhara (BVD) was also part of the joint operation.
All the 38 children rescued in the operation are boys aged between 14 to 17 years. All the children hail from poor families from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The innocent children were forced to work as child labourers for long hours of upto 12 hours a day at very paltry wages of Rs.150 per day. Many of the children were working since past 6 months in these establishments.
Expressing his deep pain over the engagement of minor children as child labour in commercial establishments, Manish Sharma, director of Bachpan Bachao Andolan said, “Inspite of having very strong laws to protect children from all kinds of exploitation and child labour, people continue to employ underage children in commercial activities and exploit them. Many unscrupulous people are also trafficking young children and forcing them into child labour. These are serious crime and the government should make the law enforcement agencies proactive at all levels to curb increasing crimes against children. The Union government must enact the anti-trafficking bill at the earliest to curb the problem”.
Following the orders of SDM Rajouri Garden, Delhi police have sealed 14 establishments. The SDM has also ordered to lodge FIRs against the erring owners under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code, 75 and 79 Juvenile Justice Act, 3 and 14 of Child and Adolescent Labour Prohibition Act. All the rescued children have been produced before the CWC after undergoing medical tests and are now sheltered at Child Care Institution (CCI).