LUCKNOW A 16-year-old boy and his 13-year-old ‘wife’ were rescued by authorities in Lucknow on Thursday. The Malda (West Bengal)-based teenage couple had come to Lucknow with the boy’s uncle, who was also found living with them.
According to authorities, the boy and the girl, who got acquainted through social media, tied the knot on March 22. The two claimed that they shifted to Lucknow in search of better earning prospects. After moving to Lucknow, the boy started working as a daily wager at a construction site in the city. He would work for 12 hours a day -- from 6 am to 6 pm -- for a daily wage of ₹300.
The two children were rescued by the joint teams of the anti-human trafficking unit in Lucknow, child rescue workers, and the police unit in Banthra. Earlier, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in Delhi had circulated a letter (dated March 16) regarding the missing children.
Following the NCPCR circular, Mukti Mission and Childline Lucknow took note of the case and Childline workers began to scout the possible areas where the children might be living. The exact location of the children was obtained from the man, who was apprehended with the help of a picture that had been circulated.
{{/usCountry}}Following the NCPCR circular, Mukti Mission and Childline Lucknow took note of the case and Childline workers began to scout the possible areas where the children might be living. The exact location of the children was obtained from the man, who was apprehended with the help of a picture that had been circulated.
{{/usCountry}}Once identified, members of the Mukti Mission, AHTU, and Childline, along with the Banthra police unit rescued the two minors. Meanwhile, the boy’s uncle, who was living with the teenage couple, has been booked on charges of kidnapping under IPC sections 363, 365, and 34.
“This is a case of child marriage, child labour, kidnapping, and trafficking all rolled into one,” said Sangeeta Sharma, Childline, Lucknow. A part of the rescue team, Sharma said, “It was the boy’s uncle who helped the girl run away from her home. He brought them to Lucknow, and helped them get married.”
The children were first taken to the One-Stop Centre at Ashiyana, and then produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Later, the girl was sent to the government children’s home for girls at Para. The CWC ordered that the children be presented before the district child marriage prohibition officer and the juvenile justice board.
Incidentally, the rescue teams managed to save another 13-year-old child labour while rescuing the Malda-based couple. The 13-year-old, who revealed that his father is an alcoholic, was seen crying on the side of the street at Nahariya Chauraha. His father had forced him into a job at a tea stall. The child said that he was physically abused at the tea stall. He will also be produced before the juvenile justice board.