41 child labourers rescued from Delhi’s toy factories in joint raid by Bachpan Bachao Andolan and SDM Kotwali
Forty-one child labourers, starving and visibly exhausted, were rescued from toy factories in New Delhi’s Azad Market in a joint operation by Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), SDM, Kotwali Darya Ganj, Labour department, Bal Vikas Dhara and police team late on Tuesday. Bachpan Bachao Andolan is founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi.
As a result of the raid led by Arvind Rana, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Kotwali, Darya Ganj, twelve factories on Ram Bagh Road in Azad Market, which falls under Kotwali subdivision, have been sealed and FIRs have been registered against the owners of the factories in Bara Hindu Rao Police Station.
The children, in the age group of 13-17 years, when rescued were bare feet and in torn clothes. They were reportedly made to work from 9 in the morning till midnight every day. Without enough food or even a proper place to sleep, they slept in the same room once they were done with the work post-midnight. The children belong to the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Once rescued, a preliminary medical examination of each rescued child was conducted by medical officer, CDMO, Nabi Karim. The children were later produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) after which they have been shifted to a shelter home.
The SDM in his order stated that the employers have violated the provision of Child & Adolescent Labour Act, JJ Act, Bonded Labour System Abolition Act. He ordered the police to register FIRs against the employers under the Bonded Labour Act, Child Labour Act, JJ Act and Trafficking Act.
Talking about the dark world of child trafficking and child labour that continues to mar the society, Manish Sharma, Director, BBA, said, “It’s a shame for our entire society that even after decades of getting independence, we haven’t been able to free our children from child labour. The fact that children who should have been playing with toys are making toys, and working as slaves. Such incidents should make us all ashamed and angry.”
This is the second big rescue operation by the BBA team in the capital in less than ten days. Last week, 14 child labourers, most of them with burn injuries and miserable physical health, were rescued from Delhi’s Naraina in a raid conducted jointly by BBA, SDM Delhi Cantonment, Labour Department and police team.