In a crackdown against trafficking spread across four states, Bachpan Bachao Andolan rescued 20 children from Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand on July 12.

The BBA team got information that about 8-10 girls were being trafficked on a train from Dhanbad to Erode including minors. BBA state teams in Tamil Nadu and Kerala were immediately alerted for immediate action.

The train started from Dhanbad on July 10 and was expected to reach Erode Junction in Tamil Nadu early on July 12 morning. A rescue team was constituted in Erode consisting of BBA, RPF, GRP, Railway Child line. As soon as the train reached the station, all the suspected individuals were rescued. Two of the girls were suspected to be minors and were handed over to Railway Child Line. Their bone ossification test will be done to identify the correct age.

In another development, undertaking an identification drive with the District Task Force and other NGOs, BBA’s Uttarakhand team identified six children – three of whom were working in a motorbike shop and three others engaged in rag picking. The drive for identifying children begging on the streets, working as child labour was undertaken as a part of Uttarakhand’s Smart City programme.

FIR has been registered against the two shopkeepers where the boys were working. The rescued children were produced before the Child Welfare Committee. While the rescued boys were handed over to their parents, the girls were sent to a child care home post their medical examination.

In Rajasthan, a 14-year-old boy from Bihar’s Darbhanga, who was working in a restaurant in Jaipur, was rescued by the local police in conjunction with the BBA team. He used to live with his uncle who works in the same restaurant. He was produced before the child welfare committee and then sent to a child care institution.

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy was rescued from a house in Sector 45 of Chandigarh by the District Task Force. The household had employed the child for domestic chores and he was working there for the last 10 months. The child, who has never gone to school, had been sent to work by his family who live in neighbouring Mohali.

The child has been sent to a child care institute and legal action in the case is being taken against the offender.