At least 123 children aged below 18 engaged in various works have been rescued from their workplaces during raids led by the police department for two days.
The Departments of Labour and Child Welfare have been roped into the exercise, which aimed at identifying the child workers across Krishna district, in order to bring them back to school.
“The 48-hour exercise has identified a total of 123 child labour engaged in various works. All the child workers, 103 boys and 20 girls, and their parents have been counselled to pave the way for the children to get back to school, ”SP M. Ravindranath Babu told The Hindu.
“Seventeen orphans among the rescued kids have been sent to the child care centres being run by the Child Welfare Department in Vijayawada and other places in Krishna district for their care and education,” added Mr. Ravindrananth Babu.
A majority of the children were found working in the hospitality sector and commercial establishments.
In an interaction with the teams that had participated in the raids, Mr. Ravindranath Babu told the Child Welfare authorities to launch an extensive campaign on Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme that focussed on women empowerment and ensuring all children access to school.