Warangal: 374 rescued from child labour

Warangal: As many as 374 kids have been rescued from child labor and slavery as part of Operation Muskan-VII, the Commissioner of Police, Tarun Joshi said in a statement here on Monday.

Under the special drive between July and July 31, specially trained police teams, child protection wing and the officials of child welfare department extensively visited bus stations, railway platforms, industries, religious places and shelter homes etc and found 374 children, including 26 girls, below the age of 14 years, he said. Of the rescued, 136 belong to other states.

The rescued children were produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). As per the directions of the CWC, the police reunited them their families. The police also conducted counselling to the family members. The police have booked 40 cases against those who engaged kids as labor and slavery. The Operation Smile is conducted every January and Operation Muskan in July in coordination with the Central government with an aim to prevent child trafficking and rescue children from the clutches of persons, who engage them in begging and anti-social activities.