The Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (APCID) police have said that 1,506 child labourers hailing from 17 States, were rescued during raids conducted in the State during the year 2023.
As many as 984 of the rescued children were engaged in work due to poverty, according to a study taken up by the CID officials.
“Under ‘Operation Svecha’, the Anti-Human-Trafficking Units (AHTUs) conducted raids in four phases across the State,” said CID Additional Director-General (ADG) N. Sanjay.
“The rescue of the seven children below five years of age and 71 minors aged between 6 and 10 years was the most heartwrenching,” Mr. Sanjay said.
Speaking after releasing the first annual report of ‘Operation Svechha’ on Thursday, the Additional Director-General praised the efforts of the Women Protection Cell (WPC), Prevention of Online Sexual Abuse Against Children, NRI Cell and Transgender Persons Protection Cell to protect children, women and transgenders from harassment and sexual abuse and to keep a check on child labour.
A report on ‘Operation Svechha’ would be sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Director-General of Police K.V. Rajendranath Reddy, Tamil Nadu Mahila Commission and others appreciated CID Women Protection Cell Superintendent of Police K.G.V. Saritha for her efforts, the Additional Director-General said.
APCID Inspector General Ch. Srikanth appealed to the AHTUs and the Women Protection Cell officers to strive to make Andhra Pradesh a child-labour-free State.
“Of the 1,506 rescued children, 1,299 were boys and 207 were girls. We readmitted 897 of the children to schools with the help of officers of the departments concerned,” Ms. Saritha said.
Apart from Andhra Pradesh, the rescued children hailed from Bihar, Odisha, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and other States.
Raids were conducted on hotels, brick kilns, factories, mechanic sheds, spinning mills, construction sites, restaurants, houses, cinema halls and other establishments, Ms. Saritha added.
