Eight girls among 15 child labourers rescued from Chandigarh's Industrial Area

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 29

The District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) rescued 15 children, including eight girls, from a liquor bottling plant in the Industrial Area, Phase I, here today.

Following a complaint that children below the age of 18 were working in the liquor factory, the DCPU started inspecting the site for a week to confirm the child labour activity.

After confirmation, the DCPU coordinated with various stakeholders such as the Labour Department, Women and Child Helpline 181, Childline 1098, Bachpan Bachao Andolan and Anti-Human Trafficking, and teams were constituted to raid M/s Rock and Storm Bottlers Pvt Ltd.

District Child Protection Officer Tabasssum Khan, Child Protection Officer (IC) Mohammad Irshad, Legal-cum-Probation Officer (DCPU) Prabhdeep Kaur, Labour Inspector Ram Pal Kataria and Junior Assistant (Labour Department) Arun Kumar were part of the operation.

Sukhwinder Singh and Rohit from Childline and Gajendera Nautiyala, Yawinder and Rachita from the Bachpan Bachao Andolan also participated in the raid.

During the raid, the team rescued seven boys (aged 15 to 17) involved in bottle packing and filling liquor in the bottles at the factory. The team also rescued eight girls (aged 15 to 17). A medical examination of all rescued children was conducted at the civil dispensary in Mani Majra. They were later produced before the Child Welfare Committee and admitted to quarantine centres.

In order to prevent child labour, the District Child Protection Unit, in collaboration with various stakeholders, will conduct more rescue and awareness drives, said an official.

The Child Welfare Committee and the District Child Protection Unit would also assess the possible intervention and rehabilitation required by children, the official added.