The Delhi Police successfully rescued 21 children, including two girls, who were working in different shops at Sadar Bazar in Delhi Cantonment on Wednesday.
The rescue took place on October 8 when the Delhi Cantonment Tehsildar, along with a team from the local police, an NGO, and the labor department, carried out a joint operation in the area. Authorities found the children working in shops and immediately rescued them.
They took nineteen children to Mukti Ashram Burari, while they sent the two girls to the Rainbow Girls Home at Kashmiri Gate for their safety.
The police have registered a case at Delhi Cantonment Police Station under Sections 74 and 79 of the Juvenile Justice Act. And under Sections 3 and 14 of the Child Labour Act. These sections deal with the protection of children and the prohibition of child labor in the country.
The operation also forms part of the Delhi Police’s ongoing initiatives in combating child labor and human trafficking. The two rescue operations come days after a similar rescue on October 3. A team from the Vidisha Welfare Social Organisation. Along with GRP and Child Help Line, rescued 14 minor victims of child labor in that operation.
The incident came to light during a routine check of the Ahmedabad Express train at the Ganjbasoda railway station. GRP personnel found 10 children in suspicious conditions, prompting the VWSO team to get involved. After counseling, they discovered that traffickers were transporting the children from Bihar to Ahmedabad for child labor.
Deepa Sharma, a member of the Vidisha Welfare Social Organisation, described the rescue: “While checking the train, the Ganjbasoda RPF team found children in suspicious conditions. After informing us, we arrived quickly and brought the children to Vidisha.”
Sharma added, “During counseling, we discovered that traffickers were taking the children from Bihar to Ahmedabad for child labor. We rescued 10 children in Vidisha. And the remaining four were rescued later in Bhopal after the train had passed.” The Railway Police arrested the contractor responsible for trafficking the children. This was a serious step against those who were into the illegal activity.
These operations underline the persistence of child trafficking and child labor. While authorities take further steps to protect vulnerable children from falling victim to their exploitation.
ANI
