Live
- Chanchalguda Jail Officials Say They Haven't Received Bail Papers Yet, Allu Arjun May Stay in Jail Tonight
- BJP leaders present evidence of illegal voters in Delhi, urge EC for swift action
- Exams will not be cancelled: BPSC chairman
- Nagesh Trophy: Karnataka, T.N win in Group A; Bihar, Rajasthan triumph in Group B
- YS Jagan condemns the arrest of Allu Arjun
- Economic and digital corridors to maritime connectivity, India and Italy building vision for future, says Italian Ambassador
- SMAT 2024: Patidar's heroics guide Madhya Pradesh to final after 13 years
- CCPA issues notices to 17 entities for violating direct selling rules
- Mamata expresses satisfaction over speedy conviction in minor girl rape-murder case
- Transparent Survey Process for Indiramma Housing Scheme Directed by District Collector
Smiles back on 269 missing kids
The Operation Smile which brought smiles back on the faces of hundreds of children alone in Warangal district in the last couple of years is back and has rescued another 269 missing and destitute kids from slavery and child labour this month.
Warangal: The ‘Operation Smile’ which brought smiles back on the faces of hundreds of children alone in Warangal district in the last couple of years is back and has rescued another 269 missing and destitute kids from slavery and child labour this month. The aim of the mission was to prevent child trafficking and rescue children from the clutches of persons who engage them in begging and other anti-social activities.
Following the huge success of the Operation Smile-I in 2014, the Centre has asked the States and the Union Territories to repeat the feat in this year as well. In 2015, the drive was conducted in the name of ‘Operation Muskan’. Under the drive, the specially trained police teams and the officials of the Child Welfare department visit the bus stations, railway platforms, religious places and shelter homes to find out the missing children and child labour.
Later, the kids were produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and then were stationed at Children’s Homes. After eliciting information from these kids, the CWC will reunite them with their families. According to CWC Chairperson K Anitha Reddy, during the Operation Smile-1 in 2014, the authorities traced 650 children and reunited them with their families. During the 2015, the number of children rescued was 890.
In all, 90 percent of the rescued children are boys, it’s learnt. Most of the children rescued were working in brick kiln industry, hotels and other petty jobs. Alone on Friday, the police (anti-human trafficking unit) rescued 48 children working in brick kiln industries located around Enumamula and Pydipalli villages, on the suburbs of Warangal city. Surprisingly, 40 of the 48 children are from Odisha. While seven children belong to Mahbubnagar district the other one is from Karnataka.
Anitha Reddy told The Hans India: “The penalty amount collected from the employer is given to the child in the form of fixed deposit. If the rescued are adolescent, we are trying to rehabilitate them by joining them in vocational courses.” Women and Child Welfare project director M Sabitha said: “Almost all the rescued children were reunited with their families.”
Commissioner of Police Sudheer Babu, who met the rescued kids on Friday, said: “The onus is on people to protect the children from all forms of discrimination.” The police keep a vigil on those resorting to employ child labour, he said, stating that cases were booked against the three brick kiln owners who engaged the kids in work.
