Eight child labourers rescued from Coimbatore shops in two weeks

The other five were working in various bakeries, tyre repair shops and hotels in and around Coimbatore.

Image used for representational purposes (Express Illustrations)

COIMBATORE: A total of eight child labourers, including migrants, were rescued by the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) with the help of other departments within Coimbatore city limits in the last two weeks.Based on the instructions from Coimbatore Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati, the officials of NCLP, along with child welfare department, industrial safety, labour, health, police and child-line, carried out searches at hotels, bakeries and tyre repair shops across the city and rescued them.

An official from the rescue team said that out of the eight, three boys from Nepal were working in a hotel at Kuniyamuthur, while three others were from northern states and two others were from Coimbatore. The other five were working in various bakeries, tyre repair shops and hotels in and around Coimbatore.

The official said that age tests were conducted at the radiology department at the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) and currently the three boys from Nepal are in custody of the child welfare committee, while the others were sent back to their parents. “We have warned their parents not to involve the kids in work and instead send them to schools or polytechnic colleges. We are also taking steps to admit them in colleges,” the official said, adding that they will continue to search all business establishments to ensure that there is no child labour.