India: Bonded child labourers rescued from government's office
Six bonded child labourers were rescued from a construction site in a government office complex in the heart of the Indian capital.
New Delhi: Six bonded child labourers were recovered on the morning of Jan 20, 2012 from a construction site of Soochna Bhawan, office of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which is a centre for circulation of social messages across the country.
Acting on a complaint filed by Bachpan Bachao Andolan, the police raided a constuction site in the premises of Soochna Bhawan in CGO Complex and rescued 6 bonded child labourers on the morning of Jan 20, 2012. The rescue operation was led by Pravesh Ranjan Jha, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), New Friends Colony, South District.
Most of the rescued labourers belong to India's eastern state of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and are between 13-17 years of age. They said that they were working for Era Infra Engineering Limited for more than 12 hours a day and were getting Rs130 to Rs160 (Rs45=$1 approx) as daily wages (which is much below the prescribed minimum wages of Delhi).
The labourers were engaged in iron-rod cutting, electrical repair and plumber work. They were found to be working in poor physical conditions, some even having sore hands and feet. They were staying in temporary jhuggis (makeshift huts) along the construction site.
Trafficked to Delhi by his own brother-in-law, Gopal (name changed), 14, said "I was told that I will get Rs 130 as daily wages for working here but till now, I have not been given anything. When I ask for money, the thekedaar(contractor) just gives me some money for food and chalks me away.”
The children were working in just pants and shirts and were also involved in dangerous work like shuttering and electrical layouts.
Pravesh Ranjan Jha said, "The rescued labourers are declared bonded labourers as they were getting lesser wages than the defined minimum wages for labourers in Delhi notified by the government. They will be provided with a release certificate as well as a compensation of Rs 20,000 by the government.”
R. S. Chaurasia, Chairperson, BBA said, "There is still a lot of apathy and insensitivity in the general public on the issue of child labour and bonded labour. These people were working not in a closed store factory but very much out in the open and we can only hope that with the rising consciousness common men will start complaining to the authorities on child labour."
