In a dramatic event, the State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) raided the house of a senior Government official on Saturday and rescued a 12-year-old girl working as a domestic maid. The official in whose house the girl was working is a joint secretary in the State Government’s revenue department.
According to the chairman of SCPCR, Usha Negi, she was receiving complaints from several days that a minor is working in the house of one of a senior Government official.
“We were receiving complaints about this from past few days. As a Government official was involved, I was requested by the complainants to check and resolve the issue on a personal level,” said Negi.
She informed that the child hails from Pithoragarh and because the family could not afford two square meals a day, they had sent the child to work in the official’s house.
“After investigating thoroughly, I felt that no matter what the problem is, one should not be allowed to hire small kids for such work and strict action should be taken against such people. Instead of making them work, we all have a social responsibility to educate them,” she said.
However, the wife of the official said that the family was helping the child and her family in all the ways they can.
“The girl doesn’t have her mother and because the girl’s step mother was not able to afford the expenses of five children, she requested me to take care of her. We have even enrolled the child in a school, I don’t think we have done anything wrong,” said Nirmala Arya, wife of the officer.
According to the State coordinator of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Suresh Uniyal, the labour department has given the information to them about the girl and the action was taken against the officer with the help of SCPCR.
“We have filed a FIR against the officer in whose house the child was working. The girl is now being taken to Kedarpuram so that the decision can be made in the aegis of Child Welfare Committee (CWC), further action will be taken thereafter,” informed the official.