Child trafficking survivor becomes Bengal CPCR chief for one hour

Set up more playgrounds, punish human traffickers, ensure education for all children, says 12-year-old

July 31, 2021 07:22 pm | Updated August 01, 2021 04:05 am IST - Kolkata:

Image for representation.

Image for representation.

A 12-year-old boy, survivor of child trafficking and child labour, was made the Chairperson of the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR) for an hour, an official said.

The boy, who was rescued seven years ago from a household in north Bengal where he was working as a domestic help, was made of the Chairperson of WBPCR on Friday.

“After being rescued by the Childline NGO with the help of police, the boy got a new lease of life. We appointed him as the Chairperson of the WBCPCR for one hour on the International Day against Trafficking on July 30 to share his valuable experience and feedback on the issue,” a spokesperson of the WBCPCR said.

The boy, as WBPCR Chairperson, wrote a letter to West Bengal Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Minister Shashi Panja and demanded that the State must ensure education for all children for their bright future.

He said that traffickers and perpetrators of child labour should be punished strongly and fined heavily. They should be made to bear all expenses related to the education of the victim, he wrote in the letter available with the PTI on Saturday.

The boy in the letter said that many children are forced into child labour because of their situation at home. The government must ensure sponsorship for such children so that they don’t have to leave school, he said.

He also demanded that a strict child labour law must be created to instil the fear of the law in people. The 12-year-old also advocated setting up of more parks and playgrounds for children.

“All drug, cigarette and gutka companies must be closed and the government should build schools in their place,” the letter in the official letterhead of the panel, with memo number 1112/..., said.

The letter also said that the government should work towards creating awareness among children to not interact with unknown people or accept anything from them.

A panel spokesperson said the child, who now studies in Class 7 and stays at a children’s home, was brought to a household by a trafficker without the knowledge of his parents, and forced to do jobs like mopping the floor, washing utensils, fetching water, and babysitting the family’s grandchild.

The boy is now under the custody of the panel. He’s a fan of international football icon Lionel Messi.

“I want to be a commando when I grow up and rescue all children in distress,” the boy told the Commission members, when asked about his aim in life.

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