Rescued kids board Patna train to reunite with kin

freedom at last

Hyderabad: At the Secunderabad Railway Station on Thursday morning, a long queue of second batch of 83 rescued children boarded the train for Patna with the joy of going home. The children were escorted by the officials of Women and Child Welfare Department, Hyderabad city police and government railway police.

The Commissioner Information and Public Relations, RV Chandravadan, along with the Assistant Labour Commissioner, Shyam Sunder Jaju, wished the children a happy journey as they boarded Secunderabad-Patna Express to return their homes.Eagerly waiting for refreshments being distributed by the Labour department, 10-year-old Imran, rescued by officials from a bangle manufacturing unit in the Old City, narrated his story.

“It’s been six months that I’ve been in Hyderabad. I have been working for a bangle-making unit for an amount of Rs 3,000 a month. Our owner gave us three meals a day, but made us work until 1 am,” he said. When asked who brought him to the city, Imran replied, “I was brought here by an uncle who promised to pay my parents in return.”

“I came to Hyderabad three months ago and was working for a salary of just Rs 1,500 a month,” said another boy, who was barely eight or nine years old. When asked if he would return to school, he replied that he would like to study but his mother would like him to work so that he could earn money for food.

In most cases the children were not aware of what was happening to their money, although they were being told that their parents were being paid. “There is a possibility that a few might have been sold by their parents also. We need to ascertain all facts,” said Shyam Sunder Jaju. These children, being the only source of income for their families, have become easy targets for the traffickers who have been cashing-in on their poverty, Jaju added.

Chandravadan applauded the police department for their work and said the police department has played a crucial role in rescuing them. “We suspect there could be about 2,000 of them still being employed; our main motive is to take all departments into this mission and ensure that this number is zeroed down by tracing the mafia here and also in the States from where these children are being trafficked,” he said.

“Officials of Bihar Department of Social Welfare will receive the kids. They will take the rehabilitation process forward and hand over kids to their families. About 300 cases will be booked in total against those who had exploited the children,” Jaju said.