New Delhi, January 18, 2009

Behind the narrow corridors and claustrophobic by lanes of Zakir Nagar where dozens of children waste their childhood to make sophisticated designs for the ever-expanding fashion industry of our nation, it was a fresh start to fashion their own life. A joint raid organized by Task Force on Elimination of Child Labour, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Labour Department, Delhi Police and Child Rights Organization Bachpan Bachao Andolan rescued 28 bonded labourers from different Zari units in Batla House of South Delhi.

The children, belonging to the age bracket of 6-14 years are mostly from Howrah in West Bengal and Darbangha and Sitamarhi areas of Bihar. Majority of them were working in the zari factory for more than 2 years. Horu Sada, a 9 year old boy who had been working under the same employer for more than two years said, “ Chacha ( middleman) brought me and my brother from our village saying that we have to repay the loan of rupees two thousand my father took from him long back. He forced us to work under him. We have been working for 14-16 hours everyday from last 2 years to return his money but he says we haven’t been able to do work for even of half of the amount”.

R.S. Chaurasia, Chairperson of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, said, “This area was under our radar for a long time but the information about the raid always leaked somehow. This time we kept it clandestine and succeeded in rescuing 27 children. One of the rescued children has been liberated from a roadside Dhaba. The maximum numbers of children we rescue from Delhi belong to zari industry. This is one of the areas with highest percentage of Child Labour.”

SDM New Friends Colony, Ms. Juhi Mukherjee said, “The rescue operation was conducted under the Bonded Labour Abolition Act 1976. All the rescued children would be given release certificates which would lead to their rehabilitation.”