14 child labourers rescued from clutches of contractors

New Delhi/Ghaziabad: The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and Ghaziabad police have rescued a total of 14 children, all boys, while they were being taken to Delhi by a few labour contractors.

The child rights body have launched a probe whether break journeys, with the help of different transport modes, being used for trafficking children in Delhi-NCR. The DCPCR official Roop Sudesh Vimal said that it is the case of human trafficking.

"I got the information around 4:30 pm on Monday. After which I coordinated with police and other agencies for the rescue," Vimal told Millennium Post.

According to police, the children, native of Jharkhand, were brought to Muzaffarnagar in August last year by three men to use them for some agricultural work. After completing the work, the trio of men were taking them to New Delhi railway station from where they would be sent to their homes in Jharkhand. Neeraj Kumar Jadaun, Superintendent of Police (rural), Ghaziabad told Millennium Post that these children (aged between 14 to 17) along with three other adult labourers, were rescued from a roadways bus in Modinagar area of Ghaziabad on Monday evening.

"Police received information from an unknown caller and the bus was stopped near Kadrabad police post in Modinagar from where these children were rescued. We also detained three contractors for questioning while no case has been registered into the matter so far. All the children were sent to a child care NGO while their parents will be informed and they will be sent back to their homes," said Jadaun.

The officer further said that the contractors target these children as they are available for cheaper wages. "Upon sustained investigations, it came to light that the children were brought from Jharkhand and nearby states for some labour work and after the work is completed they are sent back to their homes. Even their parents are aware of this while the contractors get them at much cheaper wages," added Jadaun.

The DCPCR official Roop Sudesh Vimal said, "Facts have emerged that these kids were brought to Muzaffarnagar. Later, they boarded the bus to Meerut/Ghaziabad. The whole journey is being investigated."

To dodge police and child rights body, they were planning to take auto rickshaws to reach Delhi from Ghaziabad.

"In the city, the children might have been involved in some petty work," said Vimal. The children were getting in between Rs 2,000-4,000. They were also harassed by the employers, added Vimal.

Break journey investigation

According to the official, they are probing a modus operandi whether the human traffickers are using break journey to bring children in Delhi-NCR.

"Different modes of transportation like bus, auto are being used for bringing children," added Vimal. An official said that there is a possibility that during long journey, traffickers might get caught as police and child rights body can get their exact location.

Vimal will also write to Jharkhand state commission and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) regarding the issue. In another rescued from Okhla the child rights body rescued five children including Nepal national from food-eatery cum bar.