Teams formed by the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) have rescued 20 minors from child labour, begging and roadside selling in Mysuru during the ongoing Dasara celebrations, officials said. The intervention was part of measures intended to make the festival child-friendly and covered children from different parts of Karnataka and other states.
According to Mahadeva Kote, a CWC member, three of the rescued children had been working at different locations, including a hotel. Other children were found begging or selling items on roads in the city during the festival. The teams were formed specifically to monitor the presence and working conditions of children at locations associated with the Dasara crowds.
One of the children, a minor student from Haveri, was rescued while selling groundnuts. Kote said the child had come to Mysuru with his brother under the pretext of watching Dasara. Officials also said children from northern Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan had been involved in similar activities during the festival period.
Authorities said the number of children involved in begging and roadside selling had fallen compared with previous years, attributing the decline to increased awareness initiatives. The CWC said it would continue its awareness efforts until the conclusion of Dasara. The officials’ account indicates that festival child-protection work is relying not only on rescue operations but also on preventive outreach among families and visitors.
In one case, a street vendor’s family from Haveri placed three girls in the custody of a girls’ home until the end of Dasara, reportedly out of fear of official action. Kote said the children would remain safe in the home’s care. The account also highlights the difficult conditions faced by families who travel to large public events to sell goods, particularly when children accompany them or become part of the family’s earning activity.
Residents have separately raised concerns about the safety of young migrant women sellers who stay by roadsides during Dasara. City activist Suma Hegade said several young women could be seen staying in unsecured tents and buildings at night, and urged the authorities to provide temporary shelters for them while spending on the celebrations continues.
The concerns place child protection and the safety of informal sellers within the wider management responsibilities of a major urban festival. While the CWC and DCPU have continued rescue and awareness operations, the authorities have not provided details in the report about the total number of inspections, the rehabilitation arrangements for all 20 children or the availability of temporary accommodation for migrant sellers. The awareness initiatives and child-protection measures are scheduled to continue until the Dasara celebrations conclude.
