A total of 91 minor children from four states were rescued from three textile units in Surat during a joint anti-trafficking operation carried out by multiple agencies and child rights organisations.
The rescue operation was launched based on intelligence shared by Gayatri Seva Sansthan (GSS) and conducted jointly by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), 22 police personnel from Rajasthan, officials from Puna Police Station in Surat, and members of Association for Voluntary Action (AVA) and GSS. Both AVA and GSS are partner organisations of Just Rights for Children, a nationwide child protection network.
The rescued children were between 7 and 14 years old. Most of them had been trafficked from tribal areas of Rajasthan, while three children were from Uttar Pradesh and one each from Bihar and Jharkhand.
Officials said traffickers and employers managed to flee during the raids, but legal proceedings have been initiated. The rescued children are currently being produced before the Child Welfare Committee in Surat.
The operation followed a month-long mapping exercise and investigation by GSS into suspected child trafficking rackets operating in the area. During the raid at the first textile unit, some rescued children guided officials to additional locations where more children were allegedly confined and forced to work.
“We were taken to a building locked from outside. The children insisted others were inside. When we entered, we found children as young as seven working there. They looked frightened, exhausted and had reportedly been made to work for over 12 hours daily,” said Shailendra Pandya.
He also described the condition in which the children were found.
“One young child, not more than eight years old, was standing shirtless and hiding behind others while asking if someone could give him a shirt,” Pandya said, adding that the large-scale rescue was possible due to coordinated efforts by police and organisations from both states.
Preliminary investigations revealed that employers allegedly used deliberate methods to avoid suspicion. Younger children were reportedly brought to the units early in the morning and locked inside from outside until the end of the workday after 7 pm.
The rescued children were allegedly living in overcrowded conditions, with 12 to 15 children sharing a small room in nearby residential colonies.
During questioning, several children said their parents were aware they had been sent for labour work. However, younger children told officials they were brought to Surat on the false promise of a trip or excursion and were unaware they would be made to work.
Among those rescued were two brothers aged 8 and 10 from tribal areas of Udaipur district in Rajasthan.
Officials said preliminary findings suggest some children had been working in the textile units for three to four years, while others had arrived only recently from their native villages.