Mangaluru: Following a complaint received on Childline telephone 1098, Childline officials, districts children’s protection unit, department of labour and the police department in a joint operation rescued a twelve year old girl employed at a house near Babbukatte in Thokkottu on May 12.

The girl is from Madikeri. Her poverty-stricken family is employed in coffee plantations at Madikeri as daily labourers. The son of the owners of the estate is a student of a medical college in Mangaluru. They have taken a house on rent at Babbukatte. The mother of the medical student visits him once in a month.

Though the child is interested in continuing her education, due to her poverty she had come to work at the house, said the girl. She is deprived of education due to lack of facilities. She is identified as
a school dropout. She will be admitted to school once again by Karnataka state child protection commission under the ‘Shale Kade Namma Nade’, movement. The information will be brought to the notice
of the department of education. She has been handed over to a children rehabilitation committee.

Labour department officer Ganapathi Hegade, Bala Karmika Paddathi Nirmoolana project director Srinivas, Revathi Hosabettu, Jayanthi Kokala, Bhavya Kumar, Yashodha Punjalkatte, driver Amar and Ullal police station staff Pramila H participated in the operation.