New Delhi : The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which functions as a statutory body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, rolled out a special “Pan-India Rescue and Rehabilitation” Campaign running from 12 June to 31 August 2026. The drive brought together State Governments, UT Administrations, District Magistrates, Labour Departments, Police authorities, and other stakeholders in a coordinated push to identify, rescue, and rehabilitate children caught up in child labour or at risk of trafficking and exploitation.
Coordinated action on the ground
As part of the campaign, NCPCR sent out communications urging authorities to step up targeted rescue operations at known child labour and trafficking hotspots. States and UTs were also asked to regularly report back on key metrics — rescue operations conducted, children rescued, FIRs filed, and progress on rehabilitation, restoration, educational reintegration, compensation, and other follow-up steps.
To keep tabs on how the campaign was progressing and iron out problems on the ground, NCPCR held review meetings with District Administrations. These sessions centered on assessing rescue efforts, resolving operational hurdles, making sure Action Taken Reports (ATRs) came in on time, and improving coordination between the various departments and agencies involved.
Raising awareness alongside enforcement
The Commission also ran an outreach effort across social media and other platforms, spreading the word about the campaign itself, how to report child labour, and why rehabilitation and getting rescued children back into education matters so much.
The results
Thanks to this sustained, closely monitored effort, NCPCR and state authorities together rescued more than 3,800 children over the course of the campaign. The drive also led to over 575 FIRs being registered during this period.