DCPCR rescues nine child labourers from Mustafabad

The rescue operation was carried out along with the north-east district task force and the children were found working at several scrap shops. The DCPCR and the Delhi Police sealed seven shops, it said. The rescue operation was conducted in close coordination with several officials of the district administration and the police and a team from an NGO, the DCPCR said.

The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) rescued nine child labourers from Mustafabad on Monday, it said in a statement. The rescue operation was carried out along with the north-east district task force and the children were found working at several scrap shops. They were not wearing masks and were found working in unhealthy and unhygienic conditions, it said.

The children were rescued by the teams successfully and provided with masks, sanitisers, food and water, the statement added. The DCPCR and the Delhi Police sealed seven shops, it said.

The rescue operation was conducted in close coordination with several officials of the district administration and the police and a team from an NGO, the DCPCR said. About 30 children allegedly escaped during the raid, it added.

The rescued children underwent medical examination by the CDMO, including medical test for COVID-19. They were produced before Child Welfare Committee (East, North-East) and would be placed in Mukti Ashram, Burari. Their statements have been recorded in the office of the SDM and legal proceedings shall follow, the DCPCR said. During the pandemic, this is the fourth operation undertaken by the commission to rescue child labourer.

"International Labour Organisation (ILO) has predicted that with COVID-19 pandemic, the world may witness an increase in child labour for the first time in 20 years, thus, there is a risk of reverting years of progress in this arena," the statement said..