90% of Rescued Children in 2024–25 Were Child Labourers: StateWise List Revealed

In a significant and shocking revelation, a report by India Child Protection in collaboration with Just Rights for Children has shown that almost 90% of children, that is, 44,902 children rescued from various places in India in the period of April 2024 to March 2025, were victims of child labour.

Of the more than 27,000 rescue operations reported, 23,530 were classified as child labour, 2,766 as sexual exploitation and 1,092 as begging. The highest number of rescues took place in Telangana, where over 11,000 children were liberated.

Top States for Child Labour Rescues

Legal Action and Enforcement Gaps

Of the 27,320 legal actions, 35% (9,595) were FIRs, which are considered very important to prosecution. 25% of diary entries were general, and 23% were child welfare orders. In situations where there was no legal action taken, only 2% and 5,809 traffickers or employers were arrested, mainly in cases of child labour.

For example, states such as Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh saw deficits in enforcement that demonstrated high numbers of rescues but lower numbers of arrests.

Missing Children Also Found in Labour Situations

Civil society organisations have discovered 11,068 FIRs for 11,409 missing children, with 8,749 traced. In fact, most were eventually reported back to be under exploitative circumstances. 

Top States in Child Recovery

West Bengal – 3509

Maharashtra – 1149

Bihar – 1306

This report illustrates India’s ongoing battle against child exploitation and the significance of legal action to obtain justice.