The Calcutta High Court disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed praying for a direction upon the respondents to conduct an inquiry or investigation to find out the children on the streets who are used for begging and who are homeless and are abused and to rehabilitate them to the shelter homes and to direct the councilors also to participate in the rehabilitation process.
A report in the form of an affidavit has been filed on behalf of the first respondent (State of West Bengal) signed by the Assistant Secretary, West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
In the reply affidavit filed by the petitioners , which suggested that a special task force should be constituted to nab the organized crime racket where the children are used for the purpose of begging and minor children are being used in various industries in various parts of the State of West Bengal.
From the report filed on behalf of the first respondent , the Division Bench of Chief Justice T. S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya noted that effective steps have been taken and regular meetings of zone-wise intervention of Child Beggars issue on the streets of Kolkata has been conducted.
Further, the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Human Rights has envisaged a project for identifying child beggars zone-wise and three NGOs, are to partner with the Commission along with the Kolkata Police and Traffic Police.
The Commission has addressed the Commissioner of Police on 08.02.2021 mentioning about the steps to be followed which include miking campaign a movement with the mobile van for the purpose of announcement on child begging and drug addiction issues and conducting of sensitization and awareness programmes about the negative aspects of child begging and addiction.
The Secretary of the Labour Department has also been addressed by the Commission on 09.02.201 with regard to the said campaigns. Similar communication has been sent to the Commissioner of Police, Howrah Police Commissionerate dated 18.08.2021.
The details of the Tableau Movement have also been furnished. The Tableau Campaign was inaugurated on 12th June, 2022 i.e. World Day against Child Labour. The route map has also been furnished. The list of shelter homes have been appended to the report. Apart from that, there are 38 open shelters in the State and those are run by various NGOs. The details have been given in the annexure to the report.
Thus, the Court noted that the effective steps taken by West Bengal for the purpose of prevention of child begging, drug addiction etc.
However, the petitioners suggested that a special task force be formed for the purpose of migrant children who are also involved in the State. This suggestion shall also be considered by the Commission and appropriate directives be issued to the stakeholders, the Court directed.