Sixteen children working in various eateries in Ellisbridge area, as well as two from Kalupur railway station, were rescued by Childline on Thursday. The children aged between 14 and 17 years were allegedly made to work for 12 to 15 hours a day. “We had a tip-off about three children working at a kitli in Ellisbridge. When we went to rescue them, we found the other children working at the eateries. These included Jalaram Paratha House and Raghvanshi Paratha House,” said Purnima Gupta, assistant director, Childline.
She said that in poor families, many parents willingly send their children for work. “The children hail from Banswada, Dungarpur and Udaipur,” she said. She further said that 55% of the rescued child labourers often end up being sent to work again.
“A child found from the railway station used to work for a pani-puri vendor who did not pay him. So he ran away and was found roaming at the station by our worker,” she said. As to why eateries prefer to hire children despite it being against the law, she said it was because children could be paid a pittance or not paid at all. “The children are often made to work for 15 hours with no breaks or holidays,” she said.
