In a major crackdown on child trafficking and labour, 13 children belonging to the Baiga tribe, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) known for living deep inside forest regions, were rescued from hazardous cattle rearing units in Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham (previously known as Kawardha) district. The rescue operation was jointly carried out by the police, Childline, Women and Child Development Department, and Association for Voluntary Action (AVA). Ten traffickers were also arrested during the operation.
The rescue team, led by Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Singh, acted on a tip-off provided by AVA, a partner organisation of Just Rights for Children (JRC), the country’s largest network of NGOs working for child protection. AVA had been closely tracking the movement and activities of the traffickers for nearly two weeks before sharing confirmed information with the district police.
“As soon as we were informed, we plunged into action. These children were forced into bonded labour and were living in extremely exploitative conditions. An FIR has been lodged and the search is on to nab all the perpetrators who are part of this network. We will ensure that all the criminals are brought to justice at the earliest,” said Dharmendra Singh, SP, Kabirdham.
The children, aged between 8 and 15 years, had been trafficked from their villages nearly seven to eight months ago after traffickers lured their families with promises of money and better facilities. They were forced to work for more than ten hours every day in cattle rearing units located near the Kanha National Park region and were paid a meagre amount of Rs 1000 to Rs 2000 per month, the FIR stated.
The children were found living and working in extremely exploitative and hazardous conditions. During the rescue operation, the team initially rescued four children from one cattle rearing unit. The rescued children then guided officials to other location where more children were being held and forced into labour. After a day-long operation, 13 children were rescued from four different places in the district.
“The rescue highlights the growing vulnerability of children from marginalised tribal communities to trafficking networks. These networks prey on the extreme vulnerability of such communities and lure families with a handful of cash and false promises. It is deeply disturbing that children as young as eight years old are pushed into hazardous and exploitative working conditions. At the same time, the swift action taken by the police officials is highly commendable and instils everybody’s hope in the system. We must now collectively ensure that all 13 rescued children receive proper rehabilitation, compensation, education, and the opportunity to reclaim a safe and dignified childhood,” said Manish Sharma, Senior Director, Association for Voluntary Action.
All the rescued children were shifted to child care institutions after the late night rescue and are now being produced before the Child Welfare Committee for further care and rehabilitation procedures. Meanwhile, the police have invoked relevant sections under laws related to trafficking in persons, bonded labour, child labour, and the Juvenile Justice Act against the arrested traffickers.
— Jitendra Parmar
(This Press Release has been published as received)
