Dumka: Four children belonging to Pakur-based Pahariya community under the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), who were rescued in Bokaro while allegedly being taken to Kerala on the promise of jobs around a month ago, have been reunited with their families in Pakur, officials said.Pakur district child protection officer (DCPO) Vyas Thakur said, “The children, aged between 10 and 14 years, were brought to Pakur after being rescued in Bokaro one month ago. They were produced before the Pakur Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on Saturday. Two were handed over to their families after their documents and details were verified on Saturday, while the remaining two were reunited with their parents on Sunday.”Pahariya PVTG children remain vulnerable to trafficking in impoverished rural areas. Poverty and the lure of better-paying jobs outside Jharkhand make families susceptible to intermediaries promising employment. Reports of middlemen approaching families in Pahariya-dominated areas of Pakur have surfaced repeatedly, officials said.The administration and the CWC are conducting awareness programmes and working to identify people taking minors to other states while strengthening monitoring to prevent trafficking, officials added.
