DNA tests for children rescued from Sabarimala

KOZHIKODE: The social justice department has proposed mandatory DNA test for the children rescued under the ‘Operation Saranabalyam’ project   being implemented in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kollam and Kottayam districts.  This is  meant to  check child labour during the Sabarimala pilgrimage season as it is  suspected that  child trafficking agents are appearing as parents of the rescued children.

“The involvement of inter-state child trafficking racket is suspected in many cases where children are brought from outside during  the season. We have no fool-proof mechanism to ascertain the genuineness  of a parent of other state children,” said SJ department special secretary Biju Prabhakar. Accordingly, the blood samples of the child and parent would be tested and if not matching, cases will be  charged against the fake parent. 

Already eight children have been  rescued in the ongoing season.  All of them, including three girls, are from other states. Seven of them were working at  Pamba, Nilakkal, Laha and  Thulapalli in Pathanamth-itta and one in Alappuzha district. “The children were being employed in shops on the presumption that the customers buy more items from a child. The children are vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Further,  a study had found that such children come into conflict with law,” said   A.O Abeen,  state-nodal officer of the project. 

Recently, a new wing child rescue force was  set up under the district child protection unit in the four districts to check  child trafficking, labour, beggary and abuse cases.