28 children trafficked from Myanmar, working in hotels, rescued

Around 28 trafficked children, aged 12-17, were rescued from north Delhi eateries; they faced poor conditions and forced labor, officials report.

New Delhi:

Officials said the children were made to stay in “poor” living conditions and forced to work for 10-12 hours every day. (Representative photo)

Around 28 children, aged around 12 and 17 years, were rescued from eateries, motels and shops in north Delhi on Wednesday, said officials, adding that the children were trafficked from Myanmar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and other cities.

A complaint has been submitted to the Delhi Police in connection with child trafficking and child labour. Officials said the children were made to stay in “poor” living conditions and forced to work for 10-12 hours every day.

According to NGO Prayas, its staff received a tip about children being exploited at many commercial establishments. The NGO roped in another NGO named Sahyog Care For You, which also had information about these places. NGO officials said they then informed the labour department and SDM Adarsh Nagar team.

A joint operation was conducted by teams at 12 shops in Azadpur, Adarsh Nagar, Model Town and nearby areas. The officials managed to trace and rescue 28 children - 26 boys and two girls.

Mukesh Kumar, senior manager at Prayas, said, “Out of the 26 boys, two were from Myanmar. They had been trafficked to India and forced to work at a famous sweet shop. They would live in small rooms behind the shop and were made to work for 10 hours. Their employers had made their fake Aadhaar ID and other documents. We found the boys were from Myanmar. Raids were also conducted at small hotels and shops where they were dealing with chemicals. Other children were forced to work with chemicals or in kitchens”

All the children were found to be below 18, and many of them had forged IDs, said the police.

A senior police officer said, “We received information about the 28 kids being rescued from labour and trafficking. We are in the process of lodging an FIR. Some children were brought in from Jharkhand, some from UP’s Agra and others from other parts of UP and Rajasthan. We have sent all the children for medical examination. They will then stay with the Child Welfare Committee and children’s homes.”