Rayagada (Odisha): Ten child labourers were rescued by the representative of the State Child Protection Council (SCPC) from this tribal-dominated district of Odisha.
The Council's representative Rajendra Meher said he visited the district's various blocks on Saturday to take stock of the facilities being provided to the state-run destitute homes, residential schools and anganwadi centres.
During the visit to various localities in Rayagada municipal area, 10 child labourers were rescued from different unsafe and hazardous places, he said.
After visiting the centres, he conducted a camp court at Rayagada and directed the police to arrest the culprit immediately in a sexual abuse case in which the victim girl became pregnant.
Meher expressed concern as more than 20 destitute homes have not been registered in the district so far. Due to lack of proper coordination between child protection samities and sarba sikshya abhiyan, the problem of the child labourers have not been fulfilled, he said.
As per 2011 census, there were 19,266 child labourers in the district. Among them 2,066 child labourers were rescued and enrolled in various schools, Meher said adding that whereabouts of the rest of the child labourers are not known.
Expressing displeasure over the situation, Meher directed the district administration to trace them as soon as possible.
