FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Saroj Pattnaik
Mob:+91 9910452820
Udaipur, July 29: ChildFund India staff have rescued 6 minor children from a Rajasthan State Transport bus in which they were being trafficked to the neighbouring state of Gujarat to work there as child labourers.
The children, who are in the age group of 12 to 16 years, were sent to a shelter last night after the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) chairperson personally visited them and directed the police to take appropriate action. The man was held and was being interrogated.
According to Joseph Mathew, coordinator of ChildFund India’s special anti-trafficking project in the city, he and his colleague Hemlata Verma found a middle-aged man with six children boarding into the bus they were returning home from work.
“We could sense that there was something wrong with that man and his activities. I asked my colleague to start chit-chatting with the kids who were sitting next to her. The idea was to know who the children were and where they were going,” Mathew explained.
“From whatever discussion we had with the kids, we came to know that they were being trafficked to Gujarat to work as child labour. Immediately, we tried to contact with every possible concerned official who could help rescue the children.
“Thankfully, we managed to contact additional superintendent of police Udaipur district Mr Sudhir Joshi who guided us till the children were finally rescued,” he added.
“We thank the local police for their timely support that helped prevent these young children from becoming victims of trafficking and forced slavery,” said Dola Mohapatra, National Director of ChildFund India.
“This is a great example of combined effort by civil society group and law-enforcement agencies. It’s also a testimony to the level of awareness and alertness we have been able to create in the area about trafficking of children,” he added.
ChildFund India has been working in the region for over five years with a focus on eliminating child trafficking which has been rampant in the area. Young children are being trafficked to Gujarat to work in Bt. Cotton fields. Though the situation has improved over the years, still such cases of trafficking do surface very often.
About ChildFund India
ChildFund has been working in India since 1951 with child cantered program expertise and unique interventions required for changing needs. Presently, ChildFund India is currently working in 78 districts spread across 14 States and 1 Union Territory, serving more than 1.68 million children and families. It delivers its programs through 68 NGO partners, 42 Gender Resource Centres, 6 Area Offices, 30 project offices and 24,000 plus volunteers.
ChildFund India is a part of ChildFund International, one of the oldest, largest and most respected international child development organizations in the world. The international office is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, USA. With 3 Regional Offices in Asia, Africa and the Americas, ChildFund supports more than 17.8 million children and families in 30 countries. For more information please visit our website: www.ChildFundIndia.org