Maharashtra government asked about follow-up action on rescued Child Labourers
New Delhi 9th June 2005
The National Human Rights Commission has asked the Chief Secretary, Maharashtra as to whether action has been taken against the employers of the nearly 400 child labourers of Madanpura in Central Mumbai who were rescued recently. It has directed that if any action has been taken against the employers, then the information should be sent to the Commission within 2 weeks. It has also sought information on whether the child welfare committee has made any orders, and if the children were produced before such a committee.
The Commission has taken suo-motu cognizance based on reports that appeared in the media on 2nd June 2005. It has directed that the news story be sent to the Chief Secretary, Maharashtra to look into the allegations and submit his comments. The Commission observed that if the contents of the report are true, it raises serious issue of violation of human rights of children and their exploitation.
The media had reported that in "one of the largest ever raids in the country to rescue child labourers, police in coordination with NGOs on the morning of Wednesday (1st June 2005) had rescued close to 400 child labourers from Madanpura in Central Mumbai. The raid which had been over two weeks in planning was meticulous down to the last detail, including a map of the exact locations of units employing child labourers revised at 3.30 am on Wednesday. Addl. CP, Subodh Jaiswal, DCP Zone III Santosh Rastogi and ACP Syed Mobin planned the entire operation with members of voluntary organizations including Pratham, Balprafulta and Saathi. About 150 Policemen combed 220 workshops in two areas of Madanpura, Dagdi Chawl and Shirinbai Chawl. The rescued children were employed in zari, leather and steel workshops and came from Bihar, U.P. and even Nepal. The police arrested 42 employers and will charge them under the juvenile Justice Act, the Child Labour Act and the IPC."
The National Human Rights Commission has asked the Chief Secretary, Maharashtra as to whether action has been taken against the employers of the nearly 400 child labourers of Madanpura in Central Mumbai who were rescued recently. It has directed that if any action has been taken against the employers, then the information should be sent to the Commission within 2 weeks. It has also sought information on whether the child welfare committee has made any orders, and if the children were produced before such a committee.
The Commission has taken suo-motu cognizance based on reports that appeared in the media on 2nd June 2005. It has directed that the news story be sent to the Chief Secretary, Maharashtra to look into the allegations and submit his comments. The Commission observed that if the contents of the report are true, it raises serious issue of violation of human rights of children and their exploitation.
The media had reported that in "one of the largest ever raids in the country to rescue child labourers, police in coordination with NGOs on the morning of Wednesday (1st June 2005) had rescued close to 400 child labourers from Madanpura in Central Mumbai. The raid which had been over two weeks in planning was meticulous down to the last detail, including a map of the exact locations of units employing child labourers revised at 3.30 am on Wednesday. Addl. CP, Subodh Jaiswal, DCP Zone III Santosh Rastogi and ACP Syed Mobin planned the entire operation with members of voluntary organizations including Pratham, Balprafulta and Saathi. About 150 Policemen combed 220 workshops in two areas of Madanpura, Dagdi Chawl and Shirinbai Chawl. The rescued children were employed in zari, leather and steel workshops and came from Bihar, U.P. and even Nepal. The police arrested 42 employers and will charge them under the juvenile Justice Act, the Child Labour Act and the IPC."