KOCHI: A five-day temporary helpdesk set up at Aluva railway station last month by Childline could trace around 40 children bought here for labour. As baffling as the figure sounds, Childline director Fr Jensen Variyath says the reality is much worse. According to him,14-17 children arrive in Kochi every day, especially on weekends, to work in many industries in the district.
Statistics
The helpdesk could rescue 27 minors. “We could identify from their appearance that they were all children between the age of 14 and 17, but we couldn't prove it. They had fake identity cards with a different date of birth,” said Fr Jensen. “Even the 27 children we rescued had 2-3 Aadhar cards," he added.
Of the 27, only 20 were sent back to their families. Their relatives came down to take the children back and the process was carried out through the Child Welfare Committees.
What happened to the remanining? The seven children, who had nobody to take them back, have been rehabilitated in shelter homes.“Some children do not know the contact details or addresses of their relatives or parents. There are some cases in which the contact numbers they gave were nonexistent,” Fr Jensen said.
“Those who were not proved to be minors can be found working in the factories of Perumbavoor,” he added. The rise in the number of factories and construction work contributed to a steady increase in the number of child labour cases.
Abuse cases on the rise
Apart from child labours, the figures available with Childline show that abuse cases in the city are also on the rise with 170 cases reported in June alone.“Out of 170, psychological abuses and physical abuse from alcoholic fathers were reported the most. Sexual abuse cases came up to 15 last month,” said Abhilash T A, coordinator of Childline. The helpline act as mediators of law enforcers. “We get phone calls from different sources, especially concerned individuals like teachers, neighbours, relatives, friends and parents. We share it with the Police and other departments concerned for further proceedings,” he added.
Migrant children more vulnerable
Sharing the story of a girl from Tamil Nadu who was made to mop a six-storey building in the city and another girl who was scared that her mother would "give her away", the Childline director feels children of
migrant workers are vulnerable to child labour and trafficking.“These children reach from different parts of the country to work in the city, alone or with parents. The areas they live - under the bridges and tents- are all unsafe and make them more vulnerable,” said Fr Jensen.
“They are made to work in hazardous conditions. Labour rules are openly flouted. We had rescued two boys from KSRTC depot who were made to work for 14 to 16 hours and paid so less as `300,” he said.
Though the Childline has been active in rescuing boys, identifying girl children remain an issue as they work as domestic help. “We have noted that even educated people keep minors as domestic help,” he said.
Abuse cases
Out of 170, the majority were psychological and physical abuse from alcoholic fathers. 15 sexual abuse cases were also reported, last month