: Thursday, May 14, 2026 08:59 AM
Udaipur. 91 minor children, most of whom were from Rajasthan, were rescued from three garment factories in Surat, exposing the dangerous nexus of child trafficking for labour. The operation, based on intelligence provided by Rajasthan-based Gayatri Seva Sansthan, was jointly carried out by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, 22 police officers from Rajasthan, officials from Pune Police Station in Surat and members of the Voluntary Action Association and Gayatri Seva Sansthan. Both Swayamsevak Akriya Sangh and Gayatri Seva Sansthan are affiliates of ‘Just Rights for Children’, the country’s largest child protection network with over 250 partner organizations.
These children, aged between 7 and 14, were trafficked mainly from tribal areas of Rajasthan, while three children were from Uttar Pradesh and one child each from Bihar and Jharkhand.
The rescued children also included two brothers, aged 8 and 10, who were brought from the tribal areas of Rajasthan’s Udaipur district.
The smugglers and their factory owners managed to flee the spot during the raid, but legal action is underway and the rescued children are being produced before the Surat-based Child Welfare Committee.
The campaign was launched after Gayatri Seva Sansthan informed the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights about human trafficking gangs operating in these areas after a month-long intensive survey and investigation.
The children rescued during the raid on the first garment factory themselves led the rescue team to other locations where more children were held hostage and put to work.
Dr Shailendra Pandya, director of Gayatri Seva Sansthan, said, “They took us to a building which was locked from outside, but the children insisted that there were children inside. When we went inside, we found that even children as young as 7 years old were working inside the building. They looked very tired after working for more than 12 hours a day.”
Dr. Shailendra Pandya said, when the team went inside, a small child less than eight years of age was standing without a shirt. He was hiding behind others and asking someone to borrow his shirt. This was the pitiful condition of the children there. He said and informed that rescue operation on such a large scale was possible only when all the police officers and stakeholders of both the states took immediate and prompt action.
According to preliminary investigation, small children were brought to the factories early in the morning and the gates of the building were locked from inside. The gate was opened only after 7 pm.
The rescued children were kept in very cramped conditions in nearby colonies, where about 12 to 15 children lived in a small room.
During interviews with officials, many children said that their parents knew that they had been sent as labourers. However, the young children said that they had no knowledge about child labor and were brought to Surat on the pretext of an excursion.
Preliminary investigation also revealed that some children had been working in these factories for three to four years, while others had recently arrived from their hometowns.
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Web Title-Udaipur Police Operation: 91 Child Laborers Rescued from Textile Factories in Surat
