Two domestic child labourers were rescued by the task force on Thursday from different areas of Dibrugarh district. The task force was constituted to tackle child labour in Dibrugarh district.
According to information, the rescue team rescued a minor girl from the residence of one Dipak Gogoi, a police sub-inspector attached to Lahowal Police Station.
The girl was employed as a domestic help in Gogoi’s residence located at Ayub Ali Road of the town.
Similarly, another minor girl engaged as domestic help was rescued from the house of one Uttam Saha, an advocate from Milannagar J-Lane.
The Labour Department has filed separate FIRs against the two house owners at Dibrugarh Police Station under section 3 of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016. The rescued children have been put under the care of a children home.
Dibrugarh district administration has launched major crackdown against child labour in Dibrugarh.
Last month three domestic child labourers were rescued from Dibrugarh district. As per latest amendment domestic child labourer is hazardous.
“Due to lack of awareness many people engage domestic child labourers and engage them in various work and in some cases they were ill treated and engage in hazardous work,” said an official from Labour Department.
The Dibrugarh district administration had started a childline toll free number – 1098 to deal with any complaint related to child labour.
According to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, a ‘child’ is defined as any person below the age of 14 and the Act prohibits employment of a child in any employment including as a domestic help. It is a cognizable criminal offence to employ a child for any work.
Children between age of 14 and 18 are defined as ‘adolescent’ and the law allows ‘adolescent’ to be employed except in the listed hazardous occupation and processes which include mining, inflammable substance and explosives related work and any other hazardous process as per the Factories Act, 1948.
