Over 90 child labourers rescued from Rajasthan brought back to Bihar’s Gaya

Earlier, 141 child labourers from Bihar were rescued by the anti-human trafficking squad of the Rajasthan government a couple of weeks ago. Some of these children were rescued from bangle and jewellery factories located in various districts of Rajasthan

Over 90 child labourers from Bihar were rescued and brought back from Rajasthan on Tuesday.

Out of the 141 rescued children, 94 arrived in Gaya on Tuesday. (Representational Image)

Earlier, 141 child labourers from Bihar were rescued by the anti-human trafficking squad of the Rajasthan government a couple of weeks ago.

Some of these children were rescued from bangle and jewellery factories located in various districts of Rajasthan. Around 40 children from Bihar were rescued from a bus, which was about to enter Jaipur.

Out of the 141 rescued children, 94 arrived in Gaya on Tuesday.

While among the rest of the 47 children, some have reportedly tested Covid-19 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive in Jaipur and some are awaiting their test reports of the viral infection.

The 94 children, who came back to Bihar, will be quarantined for the next 14 days. These children belong to Gaya, Jehanabad, Nawada, Rohtas, Begusarai, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Madhubani and Katihar districts.

“Gaya has been made the transit point for these rescued children, who belong to various districts of Bihar. Officials from different district protection units have been asked to reach Gaya to receive the children,” said Rakesh Ranjan, chairman, child welfare committee, Gaya.

“They will stay in Gaya at a dedicated state government-run Covid-19 care centre (CCC) on Tuesday. We have arranged separate accommodation facilities for them in a bid to avoid the spread of the viral infection. Three buses have been arranged to send them back to their respective native places on Wednesday,” said Dibyesh Sharma, who heads the child protection unit in Gaya district.

Before handing over these children, their parents or guardians would be asked to give a written assurance that they would be quarantined at home for the next 14 days, he added.

Suresh Kumar, a social activist, said it is believed that some of these rescued children belong to the migrant workers, who had returned to Bihar during the 68-day nationwide Covid-19-induced lockdown restrictions. These children must have again gone back to Rajasthan to earn their livelihood, he added.

“Buses from states such as Rajasthan, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have been seen at various locations in Bihar over the past few weeks. Employers from these states seem to be looking for their workers and have been sending vehicles to ferry the labourers back to their workplaces,” he said.

Ranjan attributed lack of awareness and education to the social problem. “In many cases, it was noticed that children were sent by their parents to work in factories to earn money. They considered these children as a medium to earn money,” he added.