26 children rescued from traffickers in Bihar, nine arrested

In 2020, 313 children were rescued from trains and more than 426 till August in 2021 by the RPF and others.
All were handed over to the Child Welfare Committee for rehabilitation. (Express Illustrations)
All were handed over to the Child Welfare Committee for rehabilitation. (Express Illustrations)

PATNA: Child trafficking for labour from Bihar to various states including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Surat and others for labour goes unabated.

IG of RPF under the East Central Railway S Mayank said that recently 26 children were rescued in Bihar on the Hajipur-Chapra rail routes by the ROF along the Child line and other volunteers from a train while they were being taken to other states from Bihar’s Seemanchal districts.

As per an official data, as many as 56 children from Bihar were rescued by the RPF alone in Bangalore between July 17 and August 18. 

"Altogether 9 traffickers were also arrested by the RPF on charges of illegally taking the minor children by trains to engage them for labour," the IG RPF said. 

Meanwhile, Shilpi Singh, who runs a social organisation namely ‘Bhoomika-Vihar’ in Patna, said that trafficking in children increases mostly during the flood or drought or post flood time.

"Traffickers try to board with children in train from normal category of railway station where securities of law enforcing agencies happen to be less. Now, Bihar’s many parts mostly falling under flood affected areas, generally reported the group migration of children also," she said.

Sources said that almost daily, children from poor families are promised for jobs in other states with handsome salaries and taken to other states by both road and rail routes from Bihar.

Alert RPF across the railway areas with the support of volunteers and others are continuously rescuing children from being trafficked to oterh states. 

As per an official data of RPF, 830 children were rescued from trains and other distressed condition from trains and railways areas in 2019.

In 2020, 313 children were rescued from trains and more than 426 till August in 2021 by the RPF and others.

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