Kerala Rubber Band Factory Child Labour Case

In March 2025, authorities in Kerala, India, raided a rubber band manufacturing unit in Ernakulam district after a whistleblower tip. They rescued over 20 children aged 10 to 14 working in hazardous conditions, operating heavy machinery and handling toxic adhesives without protection. The children, many trafficked from Bihar and Odisha under false promises of education, were forced to work over 12-hour shifts for less than a dollar a day. Factory owner Rajesh Nair was arrested and charged under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act and the Juvenile Justice Act. The rescued children were transferred to government shelter homes for trauma counselling and rehabilitation. The case exposed severe lapses in local labour inspections and triggered a state-wide audit of small-scale industrial units.

As of late 2025, the trial is ongoing in the Ernakulam Sessions Court. Owner Rajesh Nair remains in judicial custody after multiple bail rejections. Several contractors accused of supplying child labour are absconding. The court ordered the freezing of the factorys assets and directed interim compensation of INR 200,000 to each rescued child, pending final verdict.

Whether the children were employed with parental consent or were trafficked and forced into labour; the degree of the factory owners involvement; the failure of labour inspectors to detect the abuse earlier; and the liability of middlemen who supplied the children across state borders.

The case triggered a nationwide outcry over child labour loopholes in the unorganised sector. The Kerala government mandated registration and regular inspection for all small factories, doubling penalties for child labour offences. Child rights NGOs like CRY and Bachpan Bachao Andolan used the incident to demand stronger enforcement of the Right to Education Act. It also led to interstate coordination protocols to combat child trafficking, and sparked corporate responsibility debates regarding supply chain auditing.