GUWAHATI, Dec 9 - Acting on a public complaint, the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) of Kamrup (Metro) today rescued five children, suspected to be forced into begging, from the premises of Kamakhya temple.
District Child Protection Officer Rajlakshmi Deuri informed that two of them are boys and three girls. The rescued children are between 8-12 years of age.
The DCPU carried out the operation in collaboration with the Kamrup (Metro) district administration. Officials from the Labour Commissioner�s office and NGOs like Childline, Snehalaya, Shishur Moromor Ghor, World Vision India, Bachpan Bachao Andolan and GOLD along with police too joined the operation.
In order to address the issues of child begging and street children in Guwahati, the DCPU of Kamrup (Metro) has formulated a long-term strategy. As the first step, the DCPU has engaged two NGOs to conduct a survey on child begging and street children in the city.
�Child begging is a serious issue in Guwahati, as in many instances some parents forcibly engage their children in bagging to earn a living. So, it is a never-ending problem. To address the issue, there is a need to create mass awareness across the city,� Deuri said.
