New Delhi, 28th April, 2010: In one of the biggest crackdowns against trafficking for forced labour in the capital, the Delhi Government’s Task Force on Elimination of Child Labour rescued more than 72 children working as child labourers from a leather factory in Nabikarim area of Old Delhi. The rescue, conducted on an investigation and complaint filed by Bachpan Bachao Andolan and done jointly by the Police, Labour Department and the Deputy Commissioner, also resulted in the apprehension of 8 employers/traffickers.

All the children are between 7 to 13 years of age and have been trafficked from Muzzafarpur, Motihari, Darbhanga and Areria districts of Bihar on the enticement and lure of money and good education. Working on a meagre salary of between Rs. 50 – Rs. 100 per week (200- 400 Rs per month), the work involved sitting for 12- 14 hours at a stretch to make fine leather bags, wallets and files. The rescue operation points out the fact that young children trafficked from other states are working in conditions of slavery in the capital with little or no wages at all.

At the time of rescue, several of the children had developed blisters and skin allergies because of sleeping along heaps of raw leather. Working and living in the narrow by-lanes of the walled city, the children braved scorching heat of temperatures close to 45’Cin the absence of basic amenities. 

Imran (name changed to protect identity), a rescued child said, “The leather has a pungent smell. We were forced to sleep in the same room where we made these products. It was suffocating and sometimes, we could not even breathe”. Eight year old Rashid (name changed to protect identity), another child who was trafficked from Motihari did not even know the name of his village. He said, “I was very young when my chacha (uncle) brought me here from the village. It has been so long that I went back home. The employer does not allow us to even step out.”

Deputy Labour Commissioner, Mr. S.S Yadav, who was present at the raid said, “We have booked the employers under Child Labour Act. The law would ensure that all rescued children receive the stipulated rehabilitation sum they are entitled to recover from the employer.” Leading the operation was the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Akash Mahapatre, also accompanied by the SDM Daryanganj, Mr. N.K Sharma and SDM Paharganj, Mr. V.K Pandey along with local police to ensure that the traffickers/ employers are also booked under stringent penal provisions and ensure compensation/ rehabilitation of the victims by the Government under the bonded labour law.

Founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Mr. Kailash Satyarthi also participated in the raid and said, “These 72 children have been rescued from only one street of the area. According to our sources, there are more than 5000 children working as bonded child labourers in the nearby areas. We are very happy with the action taken so far and hope to rescue other remaining children in following raids.”