Three child labourers rescued in the capital

NEW DELHI - Physically battered and mentally tortured, three children made to work for at least 16 hours a day in an electrical unit in the capital have been rescued after slaving away for about a year.

The boys, in the age group of 8 to 12, were from impoverished families in Bihar. They had been brought to Delhi by the employer on the pretext of educating them.

Instead, the poor boys, cut off from the families, were forced to slog in a dingy unit that manufactured electrical sockets, activists from the NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan told IANS Wednesday,

“The boys were made to work from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. At times they were also beaten up. When we rescued them, they were looking harassed and scared,” said an activist.

Assisting the rescuers were the Delhi Police and the city government’s labour department.

The rescue operation was carried out late Tuesday in Nangloi, a largely rural area about 35 km from the Indian parliament.

The electrical unit itself was an illegal one. Its owner, Sunil Kumar, fled, apparently after coming to know about the raid.

The activist said the children were paid a paltry Rs.50 a week for all the labour. They were given just enough to eat and kept in virtual captivity.

“The unit was running illegally in a residential area,” he said. “Sunil Kumar is absconding.”

The rescued children have been given certificates to show they have been released from captivity. This entitles them to a rehabilitation package of Rs.20,000.

While they have been sent to the juvenile home, they will be sent back to their parents in Bihar soon.

According to child rights activists, an estimated 40 million children slave away at an age when they should be in schools. The official figure, however, is lower but still whopping — 13 million.