TIRUVARUR: Two brothers aged 12 and 13 have been released from a life of bonded labour. They were employed in herding goats near Valangaiman in Tiruvarur district.
According to sources, ChildLine number 1098 received a call informing two boys aged under 14 were employed goat herding near Valangaiman. Child Line then informed Tiruvarur Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) S Jayaprithaa who formed a team of officials, including tahsildar P Deivanayaki, District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) P Selvaraju, and Valangaiman police sub-inspector Senthilkumar.
The team located the siblings herding goats at Aravathur village in Valangaiman taluk. They waited till evening when the brothers returned to their campsite and held inquiries which revealed the siblings are from Sivagangai district. Their father makes bamboo baskets and the mother collects waste from streets to sell to recycling units. As the family ran into debt building a house, the parents handed over their sons to goat owner Koorimurugan of Odaikulam in Kadaladi.
It is alleged the parents received Rs 45,000 and Rs 35,000, respectively, for the boys.
The DCPO said, “The 13-year-old boy was a school dropout for the last three years. The 12-year-old was studying in Class 7 till three months ago when he was sent off as a bonded labourer.” After an inquiry, the RDO issued the release order for the siblings. Interim relief of Rs 20,000 would also be released. The brothers are being accommodated at Arooran Child Care Institution in Tiruvarur after being produced before the Child Welfare Committee. Arrangements would be made for the children to continue their education in Sivaganga district, officials said. Meanwhile, Koorimurugan, who employed the children, was arrested by Valangaiman police and investigations are underway.