A statewide Karnataka child labour crackdown has rescued nearly 800 children from about 17,000 workplaces, with Bengaluru accounting for 503 of the recoveries, according to police officials cited in a report by the Times of India.
The operation was launched across 962 police station limits after Chief Minister DK Shivakumar directed authorities to intensify action against child labour. The directive followed his reported sighting of a child labourer during a visit to Bengaluru’s Yeshwantpur APMC Yard on September 8.
Police teams conducted inspections at commercial establishments, industries, hotels, shops, garages, eateries, roadside food stalls, milk parlours and other workplaces where children were suspected to be employed. The drive covered nearly 17,000 premises across Karnataka.
Bengaluru recorded the highest number of rescues, with 503 children found during inspections of 5,897 establishments under 188 police stations. The citywide figures included 66 children rescued in the North division, 71 in East, 22 in Whitefield, 63 in Central, 54 in South, 84 in West, 17 in North-West, 14 in South-West, 55 in North-East, 13 in South-East and three in Electronics City.
Vijayapura recorded 72 rescues, followed by Tumakuru with 33, the report said. Police officials said the children were being paid monthly wages ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 16,000. Many were employed in small establishments and informal businesses, placing the enforcement challenge beyond large formal workplaces and into the neighbourhood economy.
The rescued children included those from Karnataka, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Nepal. Police have registered FIRs in five cases against employers accused of employing children, while notices have been issued in several other cases.
The operation also initiated the rehabilitation process. Fifty-four children have so far been handed over to district Child Welfare Committees for care and further action. Officials said poor economic conditions and illiteracy were among the factors pushing children into employment, and that some parents or guardians were aware of their work.
A senior police officer involved in coordinating the drive said authorities were counselling the children to return to education and speaking with parents and guardians to prevent them from being sent back to work. The next phase will focus on ensuring that rescued children do not re-enter workplaces and are connected with education and rehabilitation systems.
