Mangalore, March 26: On 21/03/2015 at 3.25pm with the presence of Kadri Women Police, Child Labor Officer,District Child Protection officer and Childline Team Officials of Labor and Education departments, acting on a local complaint from building people, rescued a child domestic servant working at the house of Mrs Shanthi Menezes, owner of J P Lighting, Mangalore. According to building sources, the girl had been working at the home of Mrs Shanthi Menezes since the last two months.
The minor girl is of Mangalorean origin and the girl’s parents had left her at the home of Mrs Shanthi Menezes as they had been promised a significant amount of money. However, alert building residents noted that Mrs Shanthi Menezes frequently took the girl out to market, church and to her shop J P Lighting. The girl was not allowed to interact with neighbors and friends and she was not being sent to school as well.
Initially, when officials came to visit the home of Mrs Shanthi Menezes, she refused to open the door and then stated that the girl was a relative. However, on further investigation, it was revealed that the girl was a domestic servant who was underage.
According to anonymous building sources, this is not the first time that Mrs Menezes had kept underage domestic servants as child labor. Neighbors also stated that there were frequent fights and domestic issues in the home of Mrs Menezes. Police have also visited the home twice with arrest warrants. At present, investigation is still on in to where the girl was bought from and how Mrs Shanthi Menezes was paying for the girls services.
After that the girl was prodcued to Child Welfare Committee Mangalore. The Child Welfare Comittee of Mangalore ordered Temporary Shelter in Chinnara Thangudhama Bejai.
Presently the girl is at the Chinnara Thangudhama Bejai and she is very happy in the instituition. she is in under observation of C.W.C and the Committee was thinking about sending her to school in Mangalore under observation of C.W.C As the girl wants to study here in Mangalore, she will not be send to her native place.
JP Lighting is one of the oldest lighting shops in Mangalore and it is operated by owner/proprietors Mr John and Shanthi Menezes.