Ludhiana: 2 more rescued kids sent to kin as DNA test confirms parentage
With this, six children, who were kept at Doraha Children’s Home for over two months, have been united with their families in the past two days; the administration says crackdown on those forcing kids into begging will continue
Two kids, who were rescued by the Child Welfare Committee over suspicion of child trafficking over two months ago, were on Tuesday handed over to their families after their parentage was confirmed through DNA tests. A day ago, four such kids were united with their families after they turned out to be the biological parents.
Notably, the district administration had on 20 July claimed to have rescued 18 children from begging and trafficking under Project Jeevan Jyot 2.0 in raids across the city. The accompanying adults of 12 of those kids claimed that they had documents to establish their parentage, and they were asked to produce the documents as the kids were sent to the Children’s Home in Doraha. Six kids were suspected to be victims of child trafficking. On July 23, the kids and the adults accompanying them were DNA tested at the civil hospital here to determine parentage.
Of the 12 kids, whose parents had claimed to have documentary proof to prove parentage, nine kids were found to be the progenies of the adults they were taken away from, so they were sent with their families. According to district child protection officer (DCPO) Rashmi Sahni, of the three kids who are still there at the Children’s Home, the parents of two kids have claimed to have documents. The office is waiting for them to furnish the documents. And one of the children is very close to 18 and no adult was found accompanying him. “We have not found any victim of child trafficking among them,” said DCPO Rashmi.
“If DNA tests match, children are returned to the family. The authorities shall issue a warning to the family not to allow the child to beg. The DCPO shall provide counselling to the family to enrol the children in schools and about the ill effects of keeping the child on the streets,” according to the Jeevanjot 2.0 project draft.
If the parents of the child still put the child to begging, the draft calls for the parents to be declared unfit guardians, and the child be sent to Children’s Home, and the child shall be declared legally free for adoption.
And if the tests turn out to be negative, the Child Welfare Committee has to initiate legal action by filing an FIR under the BNS, Juvenile Justice Act, Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act or other relevant legislation against the adults found accompanying them. Additionally, the child’s photos and details are uploaded to the ‘Track the Child’ portal to trace their biological parents for rehabilitation.
