KOZHIKODE: Kasargod is still struggling to shake off its notoriety as a place awash with child labour. Employing children as maids is the accepted norm in the affluent families of NRIs here.
The gruesome murder of 13-year old Safiya brought out into the open the thriving business in this district. According to Childline, 125 children were rescued from labour in 2014-15. Of this, seven were found to be doing odd jobs at houses.
“There are umpteen cases which go unreported. We have no access beyond the huge gates of the houses where children are being victimised,” said Nidheesh. N. George, district childline coordinator.
Agents rope in children from Karnataka, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh for homes and shops. There is a high demand for Kannada children as the district borders Karnataka.
“Both girls and boys, in the 11-15 age group are brought in. We have not come across any instance of Malayali children,” points out Madhuri S. Bose, the chairperson of child welfare committee (CWC).
Attempts to track agents lose steam mid-way due to the alleged ‘interference’ from higher ups. An official in the social justice department confided that a tip- off about child labour even had brought them to the doorstep of an MLA.
Com-prehending the seriousness of the situation, the district child protection committee has mooted a joint inspection involving social justice, labour, CWC and police departments. Earlier, the raid was conducted by the labour department alone.
To check the trafficking of children into the district, the social justice department is joining hands with Odisha, AP governments. “A joint effort could only eliminate the entrenched racket. Hence we thought of a multi-state project,” says P. Biju, the district child protection officer.
