11 hrs ago
Fourteen Minors Rescued From Alleged Bonded Labour Racket
Officials rescued 14 teenagers and one adult from a workplace in Shankarpur.
The teenagers were allegedly making fishing nets for very long hours.
They were reportedly paid very little and could not freely leave or change jobs.
Their documents were also allegedly kept from them.
The workers had come from Balasore district in Odisha.
The rescue followed confidential information given to officials.
The teenagers were placed in protective care, while the adult was sent to a shelter home.
Police are investigating who arranged the work and whether other children are also being exploited.
Fourteen minors and a 21-year-old worker were rescued from a fishing-net weaving unit in Shankarpur.
The minors, aged 15 to 18, allegedly worked from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., and sometimes until 2 a.m.
All 15 workers reportedly came from different areas of Odisha’s Balasore district.
Officials said the workers were recruited through advance payments, while their documents and freedom of movement were allegedly restricted.
Police registered a case under juvenile justice, bonded labour and child labour laws, with further investigation underway.
- Who
- Fourteen minors aged 15 to 18 and a 21-year-old worker from Odisha’s Balasore district were rescued by the East Midnapore district administration, Labour Department and Mandarmani Coastal Police.
- What
- Authorities rescued the workers from an alleged bonded-labour arrangement at a fishing-net weaving unit and registered a case under relevant labour and juvenile justice laws.
- Where
- A fishing port in Shankarpur, East Midnapore, West Bengal, about 14 kilometres east of Digha.
- When
- The operation was conducted on Wednesday; no specific date was provided.
- Why
- Officials acted after receiving confidential information about alleged exploitation, including excessive working hours, withheld documents and restrictions on movement.
Key facts
- Workers rescued
- 14 minors and one 21-year-old worker
- Minors’ ages
- 15 to 18 years
- Alleged working hours
- 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., sometimes until 2 a.m.
- Workplace
- A fishing-net weaving unit in Shankarpur’s port area
- Origin of workers
- Different areas of Balasore district in Odisha
- Protective placement
- Minors were sent to Tapovan Shishu Awas Home in Kajla; the adult was to be sent to a shelter home in Contai
- Laws cited
- Juvenile Justice Act, Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, and Child and Adolescent Labour Act
Quotes
Ganesh Chandra Karmakar
An official of the Contai Labour Department
“Such surveillance and search operations will continue in the coming days”
thestatesman.com
Sources
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