This Teacher In Rajasthan Has Saved Many Tribal Kids From Trafficking

Child trafficking is up at an alarming frequency in the southern part of Rajasthan. It appears that people in the tribal areas in Udaipur, Banswara, Dungarpur and Pratapgarh districts have to 'mortgage' their kids as a result of being poor, not having an education and also lack of jobs.

While the cops and NGOs combat this evil, a government school teacher in Udaipur, Durga Ram Muwal is making it his life mission to rescue children in this situation. As per a report in The New Indian Express, he has a network of 'informers' who help him try and save kids from forced labour in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. In the last 8 years, Durga has saved more than 40 kids.

He is from Nagaur district and for more than 10 years has taught in a school in Udaipur.

When he started teaching at a government school in Pargiyapada village, about 60 km from Udaipur, he noticed a trend of how some students just stopped coming out of the blue.

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That is when he came to know what was going on.

"This area is near the Gujarat border. I was told that ¡®dalals¡¯ (middlemen) take away our students for forced labour in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. For a paltry Rs 50 a day, these kids are forced to work for 18 hours a day and often exploited in other ways too," he said.

One girl returned after some months and the state she was in left him in shock.

"When I came to know that she had even been physically abused, I decided that I must do something for these children," he added.

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He started with an awareness campaign and motivated tribals to fight this.

"The police often have a shortage of staff and they tend to overlook complaints. So, we step in and collaborate with NGOs, and contact the collector through a child helpline created in the region. Through collective efforts and public pressure, we are able to save children in distress," he went on to say.

What he is doing is great work and the locals now see him as a man of respect. He is no less than a saviour for kids who are forced into such a life. The man is doing his bit to make things better for the next generation of India.