26 children rescued from Delhi factories
13 Jun 2012 12:35 AM GMT
Twenty-six children, who were being trafficked and forced to work in garment and metal industries, were on Tuesday rescued by police and activists.
As many as 13 employers have been arrested and four establishments sealed during the raids led by Sub-Divisional Magistrate [Seelampur] Radha Charan in Ghonda in north-east Delhi, Bachpan Bachao Andolan said in a statement.
The rescued children in the 7-13 years age bracket were trafficked from remote villages of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and were working in these factories for over a year, the NGO said.
Of the 26 children rescued, 19 were working in garment industries where they were involved in embroidery and stitching of cloth.
Seven children were rescued from metal polishing units where they were found to be working in extremely hazardous conditions.
‘In this scorching summer, they were locked in small dark compartments to work with harmful acids and poisonous gases in a temperature as high as 43 degrees Celsius,’ the statement said.
RESCUED CHILDREN RECALL ORDEAL
Her tear-filled eyes narrate a story of poverty, deprivation and hunger as a flower seller, but just when 15-year-old Roopa’s resilience began to crack, destiny took her on a different road.
Roopa [name changed], the sole breadwinner of her family in Noida, used to sell flowers at traffic signals for a living. Sifting through garbage for morsels of food, customers treating her with spite and being subjected to physical abuse had become a way of life for her.
‘I knew I had to be strong as my entire family depended on me. In my toil for survival, my dream of stepping into a school began to fade. Just when I thought I would end my life, a volunteer at an NGO rescued me,’ she said, biting back her tears. Roopa was among other former child labourers who shared their experiences at a function held to mark Anti-Child Labour Day here on Tuesday.
She took up the challenge of counselling other children who had gone through the same ordeal and now leads a support group of NGO Chetna. ‘Besides, I have fulfilled my dream of joining a school,’ she smiled.
The wounds on Vijay’s body are fast healing, but the 16-year-old former child labourer feels it would be a long time before his mental scars disappear.
‘It isn’t easy to forget my life on the streets. I started working at a furniture factory at the age of 11 and used to work for 12 long hours every day and was paid a paltry sum of Rs 10 every week,’ he recounted.
‘I was also physically abused on several occasions. I sought relief from drugs to ease the pain and soon became an addict. I was barely alive when I was found by an NGO,’ Vijay said.
Vijay now heads Badhate Kadam, a group involved in rehabilitating former child labourers in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
‘Vijay and Roopa are among the few children who have bravely come forward to share their experiences. There are hundreds of such untold stories,’ said Shanta Sinha, chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The 2001 Census estimates the number of child labourers in India to be about 12.7 million, a figure which experts say is grossly understated.
‘It cannot be taken as an accurate figure since many cases of child labour go unreported. Many children work in ‘underground economy’ making it difficult to enumerate them,’ Sinha said.
As many as 13 employers have been arrested and four establishments sealed during the raids led by Sub-Divisional Magistrate [Seelampur] Radha Charan in Ghonda in north-east Delhi, Bachpan Bachao Andolan said in a statement.
The rescued children in the 7-13 years age bracket were trafficked from remote villages of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and were working in these factories for over a year, the NGO said.
Of the 26 children rescued, 19 were working in garment industries where they were involved in embroidery and stitching of cloth.
Seven children were rescued from metal polishing units where they were found to be working in extremely hazardous conditions.
‘In this scorching summer, they were locked in small dark compartments to work with harmful acids and poisonous gases in a temperature as high as 43 degrees Celsius,’ the statement said.
RESCUED CHILDREN RECALL ORDEAL
Her tear-filled eyes narrate a story of poverty, deprivation and hunger as a flower seller, but just when 15-year-old Roopa’s resilience began to crack, destiny took her on a different road.
Roopa [name changed], the sole breadwinner of her family in Noida, used to sell flowers at traffic signals for a living. Sifting through garbage for morsels of food, customers treating her with spite and being subjected to physical abuse had become a way of life for her.
‘I knew I had to be strong as my entire family depended on me. In my toil for survival, my dream of stepping into a school began to fade. Just when I thought I would end my life, a volunteer at an NGO rescued me,’ she said, biting back her tears. Roopa was among other former child labourers who shared their experiences at a function held to mark Anti-Child Labour Day here on Tuesday.
She took up the challenge of counselling other children who had gone through the same ordeal and now leads a support group of NGO Chetna. ‘Besides, I have fulfilled my dream of joining a school,’ she smiled.
The wounds on Vijay’s body are fast healing, but the 16-year-old former child labourer feels it would be a long time before his mental scars disappear.
‘It isn’t easy to forget my life on the streets. I started working at a furniture factory at the age of 11 and used to work for 12 long hours every day and was paid a paltry sum of Rs 10 every week,’ he recounted.
‘I was also physically abused on several occasions. I sought relief from drugs to ease the pain and soon became an addict. I was barely alive when I was found by an NGO,’ Vijay said.
Vijay now heads Badhate Kadam, a group involved in rehabilitating former child labourers in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
‘Vijay and Roopa are among the few children who have bravely come forward to share their experiences. There are hundreds of such untold stories,’ said Shanta Sinha, chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The 2001 Census estimates the number of child labourers in India to be about 12.7 million, a figure which experts say is grossly understated.
‘It cannot be taken as an accurate figure since many cases of child labour go unreported. Many children work in ‘underground economy’ making it difficult to enumerate them,’ Sinha said.
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