18 more child workers rescued

Less than a week after rescuing 44 child workers, the labour department on Thursday rescued 18 more child labourers who were employed in zardoshi units.

“We rescued eight children from a zardoshi unit in Variyavi Bazaar, while ten children were found working in four zardoshi units in Bhatena. Child workers were also rescued from the four units in Bhatena on January 30,”
KM Patel, assistant labour commissioner, Surat, informed.

The 18 children belong to Purnea district in Bihar, and are aged under 14. The raids were conducted in association with Pratham, a NGO working for child betterment.

Sources said the raids were conducted following reports that children who were rescued last week and handed over to the Children Remand Home, had made their way back to the zardoshi units. While child workers were found from the units, Patel denied that they were the same children.

However, sources said that in many cases, unit owners take back children from the remand home by claiming to be their parents. Many times, bogus people are presented as parents to get the children’s custody. Labour officials said their responsibility ends once the children are handed over to remand home, and they can’t do anything about it.

Patel said that legal action would be initiated under Chile Labour Act against people who had employed child workers. The offence has a provision of three months jail or a fine of Rs10,000 per child or both, according to officials.