21 trafficked children, including 14 girls, rescued from Delhi

New Delhi, Jun 8 (UNI) Around 21 children, including 14 girls, were rescued from different parts of Delhi in an operation carried out by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in coordination with the police of Delhi, the district authorities and the voluntary organization Bachpan. Bachao Andolan (BBA).

“Following a complaint from BBA, the joint team carried out raids at ten locations in North West and West Delhi districts,” an official statement said on Saturday.

The children, aged between 8 and 17, were trafficked from different parts of the country under the pretext of receiving an education and a better life. The operation not only revealed the harsh conditions the children were subjected to, but also uncovered the records of thousands of other children, along with ₹10.5 lakh in cash and gold jewelry, BBA said in a statement .

Of the 21 rescued children, 5 were rescued from Rajouri Garden, 3 from Nihal Vihar and 13 from Shakurpur area of ​​the national capital.

A particularly difficult rescue took place in the Shakurpur area, where authorities faced significant resistance, including a locked main gate that took four hours and special permission from the LG to open.

All the rescued children, who appeared extremely frightened, hungry, sleep deprived and confused, were then brought before the Child Welfare Committee. The children were from various states including West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

Bachpan Bachao Andolan had raised the issue in his complaint to the NCPCR that traffickers often bring vulnerable children from isolated and marginalized families under the guise of employment agencies and sell them to employers and prostitution.

“Today’s raid once again highlights the urgent need for strict regulations and vigilant enforcement to protect vulnerable children from exploitation and trafficking,” said Manish Sharma, director of Bachpan Bachao Andolan.

“It is imperative to regulate employment agencies because they become a dangerous tool in the hands of traffickers. Traffickers often reach out to marginalized families in distant states and make big promises about these children's futures or lure parents with a large sum of money. There is a vicious cycle between the supply and demand of child labor in the country,” he said.

UNI PSP CS1846