22 children rescued, nine South Delhi eateries sealed

As many as 22 boys working in restaurants and other eateries of South Delhi were rescued on Tuesday during a daylong operation and these nine business establishments were sealed, NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) said.

The non-governmental organisation run by Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi said it not only rescued the boys but also sealed nine restaurants and other eateries, where the boys were working as "unpaid labourers", with the help of Delhi Police, labour department officials and the Mehrauli sub-divisional magistrate.

"All nine eateries, which included several high-end and popular ones, have been shut and sealed. FIRs will be lodged against their owners under relevant laws," the BBA said.

"Of the 22 children rescued, two were from Bhaktapur and Rupandehi districts of Nepal, two regions severely affected by the May 2015 earthquake," the NGO said. The others hail from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar.

As per the BBA, the youngest rescued child was aged 10.

The children were presented before a child welfare committee. A few of the rescued children were sent to BBA's short-term rehabilitation home Mukti Ashram in Burari, New Delhi, while some were shifted to a government shelter home.

--IANS

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