2,774, including 400 girls, rescued last week

‘Operation Muskaan’ in which officials have recently rescued 2,774 boys and girls has revealed the magnitude of the child trafficking menace in Andhra Pradesh.

Police, in association with Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW), Labour, Revenue, Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and other departments conducted raids and rescued 2,774 children, including 400 girls, in the State. The drive was taken up only for a few hours on International Child Rights Day on November 20.

Minor boys and girls from Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and other States were rescued during the early morning crackdown. The children were working in hotels, mechanic sheds, shops, restaurants, cinema halls, industries and other establishments, the officers said.

Exploited

According to a survey, about 40% of the trafficked children were forced into labour work, 20% sexually exploited, 10% engaged in bonded labour and five percent were engaged in begging. Some children were being used for anti-social activities such as ganja and drug smuggling and thefts.

“The children were anaemic and suffering from various diseases. They were paid very less but forced to work for long hours violating the norms,” said a police officer who participated in the raids.

Surprisingly, more than half a dozen government departments such as WD&CW, Juvenile Welfare, Welfare of Street Children, Orphans and Destitutes, Revenue, Labour, Police, Education, Velugu and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), Railways, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), CWCs and about 1,000 NGOs are working for welfare of children and protection of child rights.

“Earlier also we conducted the operation but this was the first time we rescued so many children. They belong to different States and were engaged in different works. Raids were conducted in bus and railway stations and other public places,” Director General of Police D. Gautham Sawang said.

“Some children were slogging in bus and railway stations and parks. A few did not have proper food and clothing and their condition was pathetic,” an NGO organiser said.

Krishna district CWC Chairman B.V.S. Kumar said missing, runaway, trafficked and kidnapped children were among the rescued. Many of them were handed over to their parents after counselling while the remaining were referred to Child Care Institutions (CCIs), he said.

Commission takes up case

Meanwhile, SCPCR has taken up the case suo moto and is likely to write a letter to the police and other departments seeking the data of the rescued children, their age group, repatriation, referral cases to CCIs and other information on Operation Muskaan.

“Trafficking gangs, begging mafia and criminals are bringing children by bus and train. Criminals are trapping runaway children and those suffering with family problems or broken families. There is a need to step up vigil and intelligence network at bus and railway stations to stop child trafficking,” the commission opined.