Udaipur, May 14: A joint operation by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit and the State Child Commission has successfully rescued 90 children from factories in Surat, Gujarat. These children, aged between 7 to 14 years, were reportedly brought from tribal areas in Udaipur district and forced to work in textile units.
According to reports, the children were working in small textile factories located in areas such as the Sitaram Society and Mukti Dham Society in the Pune police station area of Surat. Some were engaged in threading sarees, while others operated machinery, earning a meager monthly wage of ₹5,000 to ₹8,000.
Shailendra Pandya, a former member of the State Child Commission, stated that they had received information over the past month about children from impoverished tribal families in Udaipur being sent to Surat for labour. Following this, a team of around 20 members conducted a series of planned raids across multiple locations.
Initial investigations revealed that most of the children had dropped out of school and were sent to work due to financial constraints. The team is currently interrogating factory operators and gathering information from the children’s families.
Previous Actions in 2019
In 2019, the State Child Commission had also conducted a similar operation in Surat, rescuing several child labourers from Udaipur. However, the issue of child trafficking and labour has not been completely eradicated.