Kozhikode: As many as 29 children were rescued within 10 days after ‘Operation Saranabalyam’ was launched in four southern districts to check child labour, child trafficking and child beggary. Among them, 12 were rescued from Pathanamthitta district, four each from Kottayam and Alappuzha districts and nine from Kollam district. Fifteen of the 29 children are girls. Twenty-two children are from Tamil Nadu, Bihar, UP, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, who were brought here by agents.
“The majority of them were brought for the Sabarimala pilgrimage season to sell toys and bangles and for hotel labour. They are also vulnerable to sexual exploitation,” says A.O. Abeen, state-nodal officer of the project. Six children from Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts were in vulnerable condition and they needed care and protection.
The rescued children were produced before the child welfare committee (CWC) concerned. In the case of other state children, attempts are on to reach their CWCs in their native districts. “These children are forced to skip classes for the labour. The three rescued children from Pathanamthitta were sent with their parents on the condition that their schooling will be taken care of,” explained Mr Abeen.
The Saranabalyam project was kickstarted in Pathanamthitta district and expanded to Alappuzha, Kollam and Kottayam this year. The child rescue force launched in these districts rescued the children. DNA test will be conducted to determine the parents of children from other states.
