Going to school and gaining a proper education is an indispensable part of childhood. It shapes their personalities and their future. But unfortunately, many children in India are bereft of this learning opportunity because they’re employed as child labourers. In a deeply saddening incident that came to light recently, 26 such minors were rescued from a prominent biscuit factory.
On 14 June, Chhattisgarh cops along with volunteers from ChildLine and the Women & Child Development Department conducted a raid on a Parle-G factory in Raipur and rescued 26 child labourers from the premises.
According to The Times of India, the manufacturing unit kept the children (all aged between 10-16 years) inside with no outside contact whatsoever. A complaint has been filed against the owner, Vimal Khetan, under Section 79 of the Juvenile Justice Act. If implicated, he could face a penalty of Rs.50,000 per child and a maximum of two years in jail.
The rescued minors have been given accommodation in a government shelter home and their parents have been apprised of the situation. They will also be provided counselling soon.
Scroll.in reports that they were made to work from 8 am to 8 pm and received Rs. 5000-7000 per month as wages. Business Standard quotes an official from the biscuit maker saying,
“The factory, in this case, is not owned or run by Parle Products and is operated by a third-party, sub-contractor.”
Reiterating the fact that the brand does not employ minors, it assured everyone that an internal investigation is on and they will take “concrete action to address the situation”. We hope that the police puts the people responsible behind bars soon.