Officials Rescue 5,582 Child Labour in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Police have rescued 5,582 children and booked 1,480 cases against accused persons following multi-departmental inspections in Telangana, exposing the scale of child labour, weak post-rescue monitoring, and poor conviction rates. Of the rescued children, 2,292 were migrants from other states and countries, including 43 Nepal nationals.

During inspections in Hyderabad and surrounding districts under the Operation Smile-XII, officials found that minor boys from Nepal were working in fast food centres and other informal establishments. Many of them were carrying both Nepal national identity cards and India’s Aadhaar cards.

As per the official framework, Operation Smile covers children rescued from child labour, bonded labour, child trafficking, begging, abuse, and missing or runaway situations invoke the Child and Adolescent Labour Act, Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, Juvenile Justice Act and relevant IPC sections, depending on the nature of exploitation.

The inspections were conducted by law and order police along with child welfare committees (CWCs), Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs), labour officials and NGOs.

The presence of Aadhaar cards with foreign minors raised questions. “Any cases with child labour or Labour Act charges will hardly get convicted, while the acquittal rate is 80 per cent and conviction rate is 20 per cent,” an official said.

A CW officials said Medchal-Malkajgiri district alone accounted for 25 Nepal nationals. An official said, “They were shifted to shelter homes and handed over to their parents following counselling.” However, officials admitted that there is no streamlined or sustained mechanism to ensure that these children do not return to work after restoration, particularly in migrant and cross-border cases.

“Parents are clearly informed that if their children are found working again, cases will be registered against them as accused. This warning is issued in writing and explained during counselling,” adding that the Juvenile Justice framework allows action against guardians who facilitate child labour.

AHTU officials said monitoring responsibilities do not end with rescue. “The law and order police will keep watch on both the rescued child and the establishment from where the child was rescued. If the same shop owner or employer is found re-engaging the child, stringent action will follow under trafficking and bonded labour provisions,” an AHTU official said.

Despite the scale of enforcement, prosecution outcomes remain weak. Officials said nearly 80 per cent of child labour and trafficking-related cases end in acquittal, citing lack of documentary evidence, hostile witnesses and establishments denying knowledge of the child’s age. “A significant number of cases are compromised in Lok Adalats with a fine, which does not act as a deterrent,” an official said.

Key highlights

Children rescued: 5,582

FIRs registered: 1,480

Migrant/foreign children: 2,292

Nepal minors: 43

Major categories: Child labour, bonded labour, trafficking, begging, abuse

Rehabilitation: 4,978 reunited; 604 in shelter homes

Education, revenue, health depts. absent in action

Most children, including foreign nationals and interstate migrants below 18 years of age, are engaged in daily-wage labour.

They work at shifting worksites frequently across eateries, construction locations and small commercial units.

Because the employment is informal and day-based, tracking whether the same child returns to work becomes extremely difficult.

Police question limited field-level participation of other departments, including the education, revenue and health departments, despite their mandated role under Operation Smile.

Their absence weakens identification, rehabilitation and long-term tracking of rescued children.

On ground, raids are largely conducted by NGOs, law and order and anti-human trafficking police, child welfare committees.

The guidelines require three-month follow-up monitoring of reunited children through the Mission Vatsalya portal, a provision that officials admit is hardly enforced.