The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Childline rescues four children

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Thursday, Sep 23, 2010
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Kerala - Kochi

Childline rescues four children

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Four children, two of them less than 10 years old and the others less than 14, were rescued from a bag-making unit on SRM Road in the heart of the city on Wednesday by activists of Don Bosco Sneha Bhavan Childline, a helpline for children in distress.

Childline was tipped off by an anonymous caller, who said that people in the neighbourhood of the bag-making facility heard children crying in the night.

A spokesman for Childline said that the children were identified to be hailing from a North Indian State. They were rescued from the bag-making unit, on the Dharusalam Lane, with the help of the City Police and the local people. According to a local resident, the owner of the bag-making unit had been treating the children harshly. He said that at the time of the visit by the Childline team around 1.30 p. m. the children had not had their lunch.

The conditions in the bag-making unit were unhealthy and the children were engaged in jobs that were hazardous, he said.

A statement from Childline said that the employer was one Ashok Kumar hailing from Uttar Pradesh. According to the neighbours' accounts, the children were working there for many months though the employer disputed this account.

The children will be produced before Child Welfare Committee for further investigation into the case.

Earlier they were taken to the Ernakualm North Police Station.

They have now been shifted to a child welfare centre, where they will await the arrival of their parents.

The spokesman for Childline said that there were indications that the bag-making unit was being run by four persons.

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