A month-long campaign against child labour in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district has led to the rescue of 36 children, and the registration of 16 criminal cases against those responsible for forcing them into the work. The intensive campaign witnessed the participation of multiple agencies for the first time, which resulted in a coordinated action to stop child labour.
The campaign was undertaken after the administration went into mission mode to address the issues in the most backward blocks of Udaipur. It began efforts to reduce the student dropout rate, establish primary health centres, implement labour welfare, identify malnourished children, and strengthen anganwadi centres, where children are enrolled for pre-primary education.
Campaign convener Shailendra Pandya told The Hindu that a “comprehensive strategy” would be formulated for rehabilitation of the child labourers rescued from small factories, hotels, kiosks and shops. Mr. Pandya, who is a former member of the Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, added that Udaipur would soon emerge as a model district on the issue of child rights.
