Telangana WSW’s Month-Long Campaign Rescues 66 Children

Hyderabad: The Women Safety Wing (WSW) of Telangana police rescued 66 children from hazardous industries and work environments during the pan-India action month between October 21 and November 20. This month-long drive focused on identifying and rescuing children and adolescents involved in hazardous industries.

Speaking on this occasion, Shikha Goel, DG, WSW, emphasised the importance of inter-agency cooperation and community involvement in combating child trafficking. “The WSW held an online convergence meeting with AHTU police officers, child welfare officers, and NGOs on November 4 to prepare for the operation. Through an analysis of past crimes, the teams identified vulnerable pockets such as unregulated industrial units, brick kilns and areas where children are employed illegally. Based on this, efforts were made to rescue children involved in child labour, bonded labour and forced begging. Our teams conducted extensive searches in areas like railway stations, bus stations, religious places, traffic junctions, mechanic shops, brick industries, huge construction spots, shops, tea stalls and footpaths,” she explained.

The campaign rescued 66 children, registered 35 FIRs and 37 awareness programs conducted across the state. During this special drive, Cyberabad AHTU has rescued 27 children and registered 24 FIRs, the highest in the state. Additionally, 819 children rescued through Smile and Muskan Operations were enrolled in schools. This year, so far, 1,159 children have received a total of Rs 54.61 lakh in back wages through 435 bank accounts.