In commemoration of the World Day against Child Labour on Wednesday, Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights has represented to the Directorate of Public Health to issue birth certificates for children who were rescued from bonded labour in Tiruvallur district in the last five years.

As part of the efforts, International Justice Mission (IJM), an NGO that works with government in rescue and rehabilitation of bonded labourers, has identified 51 children from Tiruvallur district in the age group of six to 13 years who do not have the certificates.

Commission Chairperson M P Nirmala said, "We spoke to the Director of Public Health and Tiruvallur Collector and told them to issue birth certificates. After the certificates are issued, we will also try to get them community certificate, Aadhaar card and other identity proof. First children rescued from Chennai and its peripheral districts like Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram will be taken up. The initiative will be extended to other districts of Tamil Nadu later".

Dimple Deaver, a member of IJM, said that from 2014, the government had rescued over 300 child bonded labourers. They were rescued either along with their parents and in some cases they were unaccompanied.

A few of the beneficiaries met the Chairperson on Tuesday to thank and interact with her and members of TNCPCR.

K Kolandaswamy, Director of Public Health and Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths, said, " Birth certificates can be issued to these children. Most of their births would have been registered in the institutions, but the parents might have not got the certificates. We will trace such records and give. But, for children whose birth was not registered, we will issue them after a formal inquiry. All these children will get birth certificates."