There is need for strengthening awareness of child labour, Minister for Women and Child Development K.K. Shylaja has said.
World Day Against Child Labour will be observed on Friday.
The Minister said not many cases of child labour were reported in Kerala, but children were brought from other States to work. From November 2018 till now, 54 children had been rescued from child labour. All belonged to other States.
Owing to the socio-economic conditions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was the possibility of an increase in child labour.
Under the Sarana Balyam scheme for getting rid of child labour and child begging, 279 children had been sent to safer places since November 2018, Ms. Shylaja said. The maximum number of children rescued were from Pathanamthitta (36) and Idukki (35) districts.
Sarana Balyam was launched in November 2016, and two years later were expanded across the State. DNA testing through the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology to help rescued children unite with their families was being done under the scheme, the Minister said.
