Surat Textile Units Child Labour Rescue Varachha Haresh Gamit

A total of 37 child labourers, including 15 girls, all aged between 12 and 14 years and hailing from Gujarat and Rajasthan, were rescued from multiple textile units in Surat where they were allegedly made to work in cutting and folding of textile fabrics, poli... A total of 37 child labourers, including 15 girls, all aged between 12 and 14 years and hailing from Gujarat and Rajasthan, were rescued from multiple textile units in Surat where they were allegedly made to work in cutting and folding of textile fabrics, police said on Monday. On a tip-off, the Surat district task force, comprising government officials from different departments such as the Child Labour Department, Factory Department, Child Welfare Department, police department and Surat Municipal Corporation officials, carried out joint raids in different textile units. A total of 17 units were searched, including multiple units in one building, at several residential societies in the Varachha area on Sunday. Also Read | ‘Parents aware’, ‘lured on pretext of excursion’: 91 children rescued from 3 textile units in Surat; 86 belong to Rajasthan; youngest just 7 According to a Surat labour department official, who was part of the raids, the children were produced before the Child Welfare Committee in Surat the same day. The boys were sent to V R Popawala's Children Home at Katargam, while the girls were sent to a Girls' Home in the Ramanagar area by the authorities. Surat Assistant Labour Commissioner Haresh Gamit said, “We were informed about child labourers who were kept in a long room where they work from morning till evening in the textile units. We took prompt action and rescued them. We found that the textile unit owners rented the floors to run the units. The owners hire child labourers through 'agents'. These child labourers stay in the same space, and they work in the same place from morning to evening. In the present case of the rescue of 37 children, we found that they had come to Surat from Rajasthan nearly five months ago.” Gamit added, “We will also take action against the unit owners and will register an offence against them with the local police. We are gathering details on the unit owners and agents. Last month, the Labour Departments of Rajasthan and Surat rescued 91 child labourers from multiple textile units in Varachha. A total of 37 child labourers, including 15 girls, all aged between 12 and 14 years and hailing from Gujarat and Rajasthan, were rescued from multiple textile units in Surat...