New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Between 1993 and 2003, 143 child labourers were rescued from the carpet industry in Bihar. But it is only after six years that 81 of them have been rehabilitated, and that too after India’s apex human rights body intervened.
According to an official of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan filed a complaint in 2005 that district authorities of Saharsa, Madhepura, Darbhanga, Khagaria, Arariya, Gaya and Saupal of Bihar were not complying with the directions of the Supreme Court on the rehabilitation of rescued child labourers.

As a result, the kids were forced to live in miserable conditions.

“Responding to the complaint, the commission sent a fact finding team in August this year and found that in addition to the 114 cases reported by the complainant, there were 29 more child labourers of Madhepura waiting for rehabilitation,” an NHRC official said.

“While the rehabilitation of 39 child labourers was completed before the team’s visit, 42 were rehabilitated after the NHRC’s intervention. In case of 60 others, photocopies of the release certificates were provided to the authorities and they have agreed to initiate the process of rehabilitation,” the official added.