Bachpan Bachao Andolan Conducted Joint Operation along with Associate Partner Organization, Shree Aasra Vikas Sansthan and District Administration in Chittorgarh

‘Bachpan Bachao Andolan’ founded by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and its partner associate organization Shri Aasra Vikas Sansthan have rescued 36 bonded child labourers by raiding three brick kilns in Bhupal Sagar police station area of Chittorgarh. This action was taken with the help of Chittorgarh District Police, District Administration, Labour Department and Anti Human Trafficking Unit. Of the rescued children, 13 are girls and 23 are boys. The age of all of them is four to 16 years. This raid operation was carried out under the supervision of Additional SP, Shahana Khanam, under the leadership of District SP, IPS, Rajan Dushyant.

All the 36 rescued children had dropped out of school and were engaged in child labour. Most of the rescued children are from Chitrakoot district of Uttar Pradesh while some are from Jharkhand and Rajasthan. These children told that they were being made to work from two o’clock in the night and were compelled to work in two shifts. In the name of wages, these children were given 50 Paise per brick.

During police interrogation, it was found that a contractor named Raja Bhaiya, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, had brought these people here. The police have taken him into custody while the search is on for Kalu, the owner of all three brick kilns. He had also made a family of 4, his bonded labourers there, including husband, wife and their two children. The husband was planned to be sent to another kiln by the owner, for which he was even badly beaten up for protesting. After his wife somehow contacted Shri Aasra Vikas Sansthan who informed the workers of ‘Bachpan Bachao Andolan’. The team of ‘Bachpan Bachao Andolan’ made a complaint in this regard to the Rajasthan Police Headquarters, after which an order for action was issued from the Headquarters. The operation, which started at 5 in the morning, was kept completely secret. This lasted for about three hours, after which the children were rescued and brought to Chittorgarh, 60 km away from the spot, where all the rescued children were presented before the Child Welfare Committee.

Expressing concern over the condition of child labourers and bonded families working in brick kilns, Manish Sharma, Director of ‘Bachpan Bachao Andolan’, said, ‘it is very worrying and appalling that even today children and their parents are being held hostage in this way. Traffickers bring people from other states by luring them with good work and money and then make them bonded and make them work as labourers. This is very inhumane behaviour. The government should make the police and investigative agencies more active and empowered to make children’s childhood safer, so that children can be given a happy and bright future.’ Thanking the administration and the police, he said that these children have been rescued, but it should be investigated at other places as well, where child bonded labour is being done. Bachpan Bachao Andolan will continue to cooperate with the administration and police everywhere. At the same time, Manish Sharma said that there is a demand from our government to get the anti-trafficking bill passed in the Parliament as soon as possible to stop child trafficking.