Minor boy rescued from bonded labour in Tamil Nadu

THANJAVUR: A 10-year-old boy, who was working as a bonded labourer near Papanasam in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu , was rescued in a joint operation by police and revenue and Childline officials on Wednesday.

According to officials, the boy had been subjected to bonded labour for the last three years by utilising his poverty.

The boy was herding more 300 goats of a man from whom his father had borrowed Rs 40,000.

The boy’s father, a native of a village near Karambaikudi in Pudukkottai district, was a drug addict. His mother died three years ago. His father did not take care of him and his elder brothers and sister.

The man borrowed Rs 40,000 from S Muruganantham of Uthirakottai Mangai village in Ramanathapuram district in 2017 in return for sending his minor son to herd the goats, said assistant commissioner of labour enforcement N K Dhanapal.

On receiving an alert on 1098, Childline officials informed Kumbakonam revenue divisional officer (RDO) Vijayan, who formed a team to rescue the boy.

The revenue team comprising of Kumbakonam tahsildar Kannan, revenue inspector Saravanan, district child protection unit officer Ranjith, Childline director Pathima Raj and others located the boy in Rajagiri village where the boy was herding goats.

The team rescued the boy and produced him before the RDO. During inquiries, it came to light that the herd owner had given the boy gruel twice a day. The boy was not given a proper accommodation, and he had to sleep in the pen.

The RDO gave the boy a release certificate and financial assistance. The boy was handed over to the District Child Welfare Committee, which would take care of his accommodation and his studies, Dhanapalan said.