Find missing child labourers, court tells Delhi Police

NEW DELHI - Following a rescue operation gone wrong when 50 trafficked child labourers were forcibly taken away by their employer, the Delhi High Court Thursday directed the Delhi Police to find the children and file a status report before the court in two weeks’ time.

According to a statement by the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), a child rights organisation on whose complaint the rescue operation was conducted by the police and the labour department, the incident happened Nov 1, 2010.

“A rescue operation was conducted on Nov 1 in south east Delhi, led by the sub divisional magistrate of Defence Colony along with the local police. It was, however, foiled by the traffickers and employers who managed to force the 50 children away and also attacked the BBA activists,” the statement said.

“Acting on an application filed by us, the High Court of Delhi today (Thursday) directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police to recover all the child labourers and file a status report. It also directed the other relevant government agencies, including the Deputy Commissioner of the District, Labour Department to extend all cooperation to the police in the recovery process,” it added.

Appearing on behalf of BBA, senior advocate H.S. Phoolka argued that if such perpetrators are allowed to get away and the children not recovered even after three months, then child labour will never be eradicated.