17 child labourers rescued from Rajkot factory

“During inspection of the factory,we found seven children in a water-tank on fifth floor of the premises. The rest were packed in toilets,” said Hema Muliyana,assistant labour commissioner (child labour) who was leading the raid.

All the 17 boys were from Madhubani district of Bihar and had come to work in the city with their distant relatives,officers said. They had been accommodated on the the same premises by the employer,they added.

“From their physical appearance,all of the boys look below 14 years of age. The supervisor of the factory said that the children had been employed for around five months via a contractor. They were assigned work like folding belts,checking and packing bags etc.,” Muliyana further said.

The ALM added that the rescued children had been sent to Special Home for Boys run by Social Defence Department of the state in the city.

“We have asked the factory owners to provide documents to prove age

of the children and we are also looking into the need to subject them to age-determination test. If the children are found to be younger than 14 years,we shall file a case against owners under Factories Act,” said labour inspector Uday Raval,who was also part of the task force.

Section 67 of The Factories Act 1948 provides for a fine of upto Rs2 lakh and jail term extending to two years for employing children below 14 years of age.