The ‘Delhi Commission For Protection of Child Rights’ (DCPCR) has facilitated the rescue operations of 331 children of different age groups in the year 2020-21.

These children were rescued with the help of Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Delhi Police, Labour Department, Child Line and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) from different places such as factories, bakery units, kharat machine units and auto center units as well as residential colonies where they were working as domestic servants.

Accordingly, the compounds have been sealed by the SDMs and FIRs registered by the Delhi Police. “These children have been produced before the Child Welfare Committees the same day which conducted their social investigation to trace families for their restoration and reintegration,” DCPCR said in a statement.

Non-payment of minimum wages, inordinately long working hours and unhygienic working conditions emerged as the common pattern in most cases, it said.

It must be noted that DCPCR has been involved in the rescue operations of 331 children in the year 2020-21. Further, in the preceding three years, DCPCR facilitated the rescue operations of 202 children over all. This is an increase of nearly 490 per cent displaying DCPCR’s renewed commitment to eliminating child labour from Delhi.

It also becomes critical as the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent joblessness followed by reduced family income has pushed children towards the menace of labours. Therefore, these children’s rehabilitation becomes of utmost significance.

DCPCR has initiated the process of payment of back wages to these children who have been rescued so that their financial integration can begin immediately.

Anurag Kundu, Chairperson, DCPCR said that the menace of child labour can be curbed only through citizen reporting and therefore he strongly encouraged citizens to report instances of child labour through DCPCR’s WhatsApp number (9599001855). He highlighted DCPCR’s scheme of rewarding citizens who report instances of child labour.