Children waiting for train to Ludhiana at Old Delhi Railway Station

Children waiting for train to Ludhiana at Old Delhi Railway Station

Traffickers being taken to the police station

5th April, 2012 New Delhi: Trafficking for child labour continues in the capital with children in large numbers being sold away for bonded labour. Acting on a complaint filed by Bachpan Bachao Andolan, 16 minor boys including 4 children from Nepal were rescued today from Old Delhi Railway Station. These children were being trafficked to Ludhiana by “Bhramaputra Mail” via Delhi. The children belonged to the villages of Bihar, West Bengal & Nepal. The rescue operation was conducted by Delhi Police, Railway Police and activists from Bachpan Bachao Andolan at platform numbers 10 & 11 of Old Delhi railway Station. 5 local agents who were taking the children have been arrested.

This raid has yet again brought the issue of rampant cross border trafficking to light, with 4 rescued boys being from Nepal. The children were between 9-16 years of age. The young boys were being trafficked on the pretext of better employment opportunities & high regular wages to Ludhiana's garment factories, shops and farms. Few of the parents of those children were not aware that their sons were being trafficked to Ludhiana. 

Girdhar, a 14 year rescued boy from Nepal, said “I have 8 siblings and my parents recently passed away. I had no other option but to explore better employment opportunities outside my village.”

Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, Founder Chairperson, Bachpan Bachao Andolan said,“It is highly unfortunate that Delhi is increasingly becoming a hub of trafficking. The capital city is the epicenter with children from different states being trafficked via Delhi. It is one of the biggest transitory camps. This fact again is reinstated with the illegal functioning of over 2000 placement agencies in the capital.”