A special task force team rescued 18 children who were forced into begging or labour in Jammu city, officials said.
The Children in Street Situation (CISS) task force, carried out the rescue operations in the last few days.
“We have rescued 18 children, including two girls below the age of 14 years, from different hotspot areas in the city over the past couple of days,” Arti Choudhary, the Protection Officer of the Social Welfare department’s Mission Vatsalya was quoted as saying.
“The children were then presented before the Child Welfare Committee to facilitate their proper rehabilitation.”
The rescue took place at various bustling marketplaces, religious sites, traffic signals, and upscale neighbourhoods like Gandhi Nagar, Vikram Chowk, and Bohu Plaza.
The children have been admitted to childcare institutions where they have access to proper nutrition, counselling, and medical care. Most of the rescued children hail from Rajasthan.
It was not immediately known if any action was initiated against the people forcing the boys and girls into labour and begging.