By IANS,
New Delhi : At least 25 child labourers were rescued from shoe-making and embroidery units in the capital, an NGO statement said Wednesday.
The children, all in the age group of 8-14, hail from the Darbhanga and Samastipur districts of Bihar. They were rescued Tuesday.
“We identified three locations in the Narela industrial area to conduct rescue operations along with police and the labour department. The children were employed in shoe-making and embroidery units,” a statement by the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), which assisted police and the labour department in the rescue operation, said.
A BBA official said: “From one point, around 10-12 children were rescued who were doing embroidery work. But suddenly a trafficker came forward, leading a mob of over 30-40 people, and interrupted the rescue process. They damaged the vehicle and forcibly took away the kids.”
“At another location, a shoe-making factory, 12 children were rescued. But the employers manhandled the activists, shut them inside a room and forcibly took away the children. Police remained mere spectators,” the official said.
“The sub-divisional magistrate was informed about it. When he went to the spot with the police force, he found no children but arrested more than 20 people who tried to interfere with the rescue operation,” the official added.
Later, 25 children were rescued and sent to Mukti Ashram from where they will be restored to their families, the statement added.