HYDERABAD: The festive mood of Ganesh Chaturti is at its best at the Khairatabad Ganesh Pandal--colourful playthings on display, women luring potential customers to buy bubbles, bangles in all colours and sizes, laddoo-sellers forcing you to make a purchase stepping in your way and smell of freshly-made chat and pani puri.
Look closely, and you will also find a number of children playing, begging, and also in the arms of their mothers, seemingly sedated. Among those children begging, the young ones covered in shiny, silver colour -- from head to toe, eyes glistening with tears will catch your attention.
Two such boys, an eight-year-old from Tanuku in West Godavari, an orphan who lives with his sister-in-law and another, a 13-year-old semi-orphan from Bihar were rescued on Tuesday by Balala Hakkula Sangham with the help of Child Protection Department and Child Line.
“This is a mafia that runs with agents across the country. These kids are forced into begging at an age when they are supposed to be in school. They are also forced to apply silver colour all over the body that leads to a number of skin diseases,” explained Achyuta Rao, founder, Balala Hakkula Sangham.
Achyuta Rao and Mohammed Imtyaz Rahim, district child protection officer along with their team members set foot in the various lanes around the massive Khairtabad Ganesh Pandal. Both the rescued boys, terrified and tears welled up in their eyes admitted, in broken phrases, that they were indeed forced into colouring themselves and indulging in begging.
“We ate just a bun and a cup of tea at a local cafe early in the day,” said the 13-year-old and added that he was brought to the city by a few relatives.
“This mafia is such that they starve these children in case they bring back lesser than expected in the day. They are forced to earn at least a minimum of `200 otherwise they are abused,” added Achyuta Rao.
Imtyaz informed that the rescue operation will be on for the next few days. “We got a little too much attention on Tuesday. We have a better plan as there are a lot of children that need to be rescued around the pandal,” he said.
Both the children who were rescued on Tuesday were shifted to Saidabad Government Boys’ Home. “They will be produced before the Child Welfare Committee on Thursday and an inquiry will be conducted. Their immediate family members, parents or whoever got them to the city and forced them into this will also be intimated,” Imtyaz informed.
If they are found to be trafficked, a case will be filed immediately. “In case it is a forced family affair, then we will treat the case with counselling where we will look at possibilities of educating the children. In case they need any financial help, we will try to provide that too,” he said.