MANGALURU: In a joint operation, 17 girls aged around 13-18 years have been rescued from the Malpe port on Thursday at around 5 am. The children were working as labourers to carry fish from the auction area at the Malpe Port to the respective vehicles of the buyers. Most of the children hail from Koppal and Ballari.
Prabhakar Achar, legal-cum-probation officer, Udupi district child protection unit told TOI, on a tip-off, a joint operation was conducted by the officials from the Women and Child Development Department, district child protection unit, education, police department, Childline and Nagarika Seva trust. The children have been produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for further action. Their details are being verified and documented.
“Malpe is a vast port and the parents of these children are mostly migrant labourers working in and around Udupi. The children are dropped at the port between 2.30 am and 3 am. These children are not appointed officially and there is no employee-employer relationship. Such raids are conducted often and it is very rare to find the same children at the spot. Based on the CWC direction, action will be taken to rehabilitate them accordingly,” Prabhakar said.