Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): As many as 60 children were rescued from the clutches of traffickers by the Labour Department in collaboration with NGOs in a year from the city. It includes 48 boys and 12 girls and they have been provided proper rehabilitation under the 'Access to Justice' programme.
This programme is the world's largest initiative to protect children's rights through legal interventions. It involves over 180 national and local NGOs working at the grassroots level across more than 400 districts. From April 2023 to March 2024, these organisations collectively registered 16,084 cases against child traffickers and rescued 29,224 children.
The Labour Department reported that the majority of rescued children, 25, are from Bihar followed by 23 from Indore itself and around 7 to 5 children each from West Bengal and Nepal. Three FIRs were filed and three traffickers were arrested due to the efforts of AAs organisation when 25 children from Bihar were rescued.
Most of the rescued boys were found working in bag and chocolate factories, while the girls were employed as house help.
"Over the past year, with the support of various administrative and law enforcement agencies, we have rescued 60 children from trafficking. Significant progress has been made and it is gratifying to see state and district officials supporting us at every step to ensure the safety and justice for every child. The inclusion of trafficking as a crime under a new section of the statute is a positive step. However, the country needs a stringent anti-trafficking law to ensure interstate coordination against trafficking gangs and the rehabilitation of victims," said AAs director Wasim Iqbal.
Reflecting on the successes and current challenges in the fight against child trafficking, the country head of Access to Justice Ravi Kant said, 'While we have successfully worked with central and state governments to rescue children, we now need to improve our strategies. Recent reports indicate that traffickers are adopting new and advanced methods daily, using new techniques and technologies, including the internet, to trap people. It has become imperative for all stakeholders involved in the fight against child trafficking to adopt new methods to apprehend traffickers and prevent bonded labour, forced marriages, sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and other forms of child exploitation and abuse.'
The collaborative efforts of the Labour Department and NGOs continue to play a crucial role in combating child trafficking and ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable children.
