JAJPUR: The district administration on Wednesday rescued six children who were engaged as bonded labourers in Nahaka and Chorda areas of Vyas Nagar municipality.
The children, aged between 12 and 14, are from Scheduled Tribe (ST) community and had dropped out of school. They were engaged in fish scaling, cutting and sale in mutton shops and given Rs 150 to Rs 200 per day, officials said. Acting on a tip-off, the authorities formed a special task force comprising the district child protection officer (DCPO), local police, revenue officials, and Child helpline coordinator which conducted raids at several fish and mutton shops in Nahaka and Chorda and rescued the children.
“The rescued children have been lodged in a shelter home and will undergo counselling and rehabilitation to facilitate their social mainstreaming,” said DCPO Niranjan Kar adding legal proceedings will be initiated against their employers.