NEW DELHI: A man, who was once a child labourer, called up the child helpline on Tuesday to inform it about kids working at Azadpur Mandi. At least 57 children—16 of them girls— in the age group of 5 to 16 years were rescued.

The rescue operation, led by NGO Prayas and the local police, also reunited a six-year-old girl with her brother. Their father is in jail and mother had allegedly committed suicide a year ago. She was playing at the NGO when she spotted her brother, who was already with the NGO.

All the rescued children, many of whom were forced into the rut by their parents, were produced before Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on Wednesday. NGO officials said the rescued children would stay with them till the families are traced.

Just three of them now go to school. A seven-year-old girl goes to school in the morning and comes to the Mandi in the afternoon. "My mother has asked me to help her in business. I carry gunny bags for her. If she is not well, I sit at our shop as well and help her," she said. An eight-year-old girl said her parents had asked her to come home early as someone was coming to see her for a marriage proposal. She said her father works in a sabzi mandi in Uttar Pradesh. She was relieved as she didn’t want to get married now.

"They are forced into rag-picking and also into petty crimes," said a source. An FIR has been registered against the employers.

