37 child Labour Exposed from surat textile unit, Factory Owners Suddenly kUnavailablek

Surat, June 1, 2026: Authorities in Gujarat rescued 37 child labourers, including 15 girls aged between 12 and 14 years, during coordinated raids on multiple textile units in Surat's Varachha area. The children, who hailed from Gujarat and Rajasthan, were allegedly employed in cutting and folding textile fabrics under illegal working conditions. Acting on a tip-off, the Surat District Task Force carried out a large-scale operation involving officials from the Labour Department, Factory Department, Child Welfare Department, police, and the Surat Municipal Corporation. The teams searched a total of 17 textile units, including multiple units operating within the same buildings across several residential societies in Varachha. The operation was aimed at identifying instances of child labour and ensuring the immediate safety of the children found at the sites. Following the rescue, all 37 children were presented before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Surat on the same day. Authorities shifted the rescued boys to **V. R. Popawala Children's Home** in Katargam, while the girls were accommodated at a government-recognized Girls' Home in the Ramanagar area, where they will receive care and support as further legal and rehabilitation procedures continue. Surat Assistant Labour Commissioner Haresh Gamit said officials received information that children were living and working inside long rooms attached to the textile units, where they reportedly spent the entire day performing textile-related work. According to the Labour Department, the textile unit operators had rented floors to run their businesses and allegedly hired children through middlemen or agents. The children reportedly stayed in the same premises where they worked. Officials said preliminary findings indicate that the rescued children from Rajasthan had arrived in Surat approximately five months ago before being employed in the textile units. The Labour Department stated that legal action will be initiated against the textile unit owners, while investigations are also focusing on identifying the agents allegedly involved in recruiting and transporting the children. Authorities are collecting evidence and verifying ownership details of the units before registering offences with the local police. The latest rescue follows another major operation conducted last month, during which the Labour Departments of Rajasthan and Surat rescued **91 child labourers** from textile units in the same Varachha locality. Officials said the repeated rescue operations indicate an ongoing effort to dismantle networks involved in illegal child labour and improve enforcement against violations of labour laws. Investigations into the latest case remain ongoing as authorities work to identify all individuals responsible.