Keonjhar: While the collector has been making efforts for eradication of child labour, the rescue of a child labourer from the house of an official working in the collectorate here Wednesday has raised many eyebrows.
The rescued child is now under the care of Child Line while the administration has resolved to take the official concerned to task after an investigation.
A team of officials from the labour department, Child Line and the police jointly conducted a raid on the house of district informatics officer Ajay Kumar Mohapatra of the National Informatics Centre in Revenue Colony near the collectorate and rescued the 15-year-old girl engaged as a domestic help.
The team also rescued a 13-year-old girl from the house of Dipu Lal, a trader of Maguragadiasahi; a 15-year-old girl from the residence of RC Tripathy of Baniapata; and two minor girls from the house of Bhagirathi Hembram.
Social activists and local people observed that while the government has been promoting Kanya Ratna Yojana, rescue of five minor girls in a single day is a setback to the scheme.
The practice of engaging minors as domestic helps has thrown a challenge to the administration.
Assistant labour officer Sunita Kian, who has part of the raiding team, said preliminary investigation found the girls were engaged as domestic helps. “The rescued children are being counselled while their employers will be served notices followed by action,” she added.
District child protection officer Debangana Barik said the rescued children were kept in the custody of Child Line and an investigation will be done if the kids were subjected to torture or not. And action will be taken against their employers after a probe, Barik added.
Bimbadhar Behera, former member of the district child protection committee, noted that the government should take up a public awareness drive for eradication of child labour and take exemplary action against those engaging children in various works. PNN
