Children working as bonded labourers rescued from Delhi but no arrests made so far

Nine children, including seven girls, were rescued from two meat processing units in the national capital where they were working as bonded labourers, a child rights body said Saturday. An official of The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said the rescue operation was carried out on Thursday in cooperation with the Delhi police.

The children were presented before the child welfare committee and they have been sent to a child care institution, for now, he added. "On Thursday, during an inspection conducted by the Slaughterhouse Monitoring Committee, led by Dr Ravindra Sharma, Veterinary Services Director, the units were found to be operating without several mandatory licenses and in abysmally filthy conditions," the official said.

"A large number of children were found working among the 300 or so butcher workforce of these factories. Nine miners were rescued. It was discovered that they were working as bonded labourers in extremely hazardous and unsanitary conditions," he said. The official said the units did not produce any record of the workers employed.

It is mandatory for any unit to have the training and medical records of each worker employed, he added. The police confirmed the incident and said they sent their force for the rescue operation but no arrests have been made till now.