Page 43 - Tehelka Issue 14E

CHILD LABOUR

Stealing childhood: Boys’ narratives Chinese fast food shop as a cook. The spite so many policies in place, around

80 per cent children are still bereft of
15-year-old would labour for 10 hours
The 11-year-old Aakash (name
changed) hesitantly showed the deep
their rights – education, health, and ba-
(12pm-10pm) with no break or week off
Factories illegally make cut mark on his right hand, an injury and did not receive a single penny from sic socio-economic conditions and risk
losing their future and talent to illegal
his owner (at the time of meeting him).
he endured while working at a juice
activities.
The 13-year-old Sonu (name
shop in east Delhi. Initially, the boy
refused to answer on being asked the

changed), a class VIII dropout from Pur-
kids work for peanuts details about his cut mark. But when nia district in Bihar said that he would Child Labour Act
share the room with 9-10 other mates
In July 2016, the Parliament had passed
he was assured that nothing of that
the Child Labour (Prohibition and Reg-
in a tiny, cramped space, all working as
sort will happen in future, he revealed
that he left his job at the shop as the
owner would often hit him for petty helpers or wage labourers in a garment ulation) Amendment Bill, 2016. This Act
shop in east Delhi.
prohibits employment of children in 83
mistakes, sometimes barehanded, and Aakash, Vijay and Sonu were three of hazardous occupations and processes.
A child labour raid-rescue operation helps save 12 minor boys other times with any object he could the 12 boys rescued on June 12 in child The Act defined “adolescent” as the chil-
employed illegally in Shastri Nagar area of east Delhi, get hold of. labour rescue-raid operation led by dren between 14 to 18 years of age and
• Innocence at work Eliminating child “Pehle wala malik bohut bura insaan Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Founda- bars their employment in any hazard-
writes PARI SAIKIA labour still remains an unabating and tha. Roz marta tha, har baat par…jo bhi tion and RED FM India. Tehelka, which ous occupations.
an arduous task in India haat mein aata tha uthake mardeta tha. was part of the mission, had a chance to The Act clearly states that employing
interact with the boys. children below 14 years will attract a jail
PHOTO: BACHPAN BACHAO ANDOLAN
t was almost noon for the team The inquiry revealed that 11 boys term between 6 months to two years or
that was waiting at the District were from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh had a penalty between twenty-thousand to
Magistrate’s office in Shastri Na- been brought to Delhi in last two-three fifty thousand rupees or both. Repeat of-
gar, east Delhi, for permission to months. fenders attract imprisonment between 1
I carry out a rescue-raid operation. year to 3 years (6 months to 2 years).
This wasn’t a usual event. Nobody in On the occasion of World Day
the team had any clue as to where they About 80 per cent Against Child Labour on June 12, 2018,
were heading except for the fact that children are still both Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foun-
they all have gathered for a common dation and RED FM India, came togeth-
mission-rescue the children illegally bereft of their rights er to carry forward the noble mission of
labouring in factories, shops, and other child protection.
places. — education, health, Noble Laureate Kailash Satyarthi
Soon, the child labour raid-rescue and basic socio- who was quoted as saying to RED FM:
operation began. Split into four groups, “Radio was a tool for my activism when
they dispersed in the congested, nar- economic condition I started my fight against child labour.
row lanes of the Shastri Nagar locality, — as they are abused Radio as a broadcast medium has a far-
mostly in residential addresses with reaching impact and the ability to reach
karkhanas (factories) running in secret by their employers out to the most remote areas. I am hap-
in the backyard with the unmanned py that the message of Safe Childhood
workforce, mostly minors from Bihar. could reach the masses.”
These karkhanas mostly deal with em- Districts like Darbhanga and Purnia RJ Raunac from RED FM India said,
broidery, zari and jewellery work and in Bihar and Dahria and Badaun in Ut- “I was recently part of a live rescue raid
are found to involve boys as young as tar Pradesh have most of their boys en- and believe me the children who were
eight years old. gaged in child labour in India’s capital. rescued from there are in dire need of
The factories and shops caught a One of the boys was found to have ar- the basic necessities of life. They were
whiff of the mission and the children rived on the very day of the rescue op- hungry and deprived of basic clothes.
were asked to run hither-thither to es- eration. The team also discovered that I am very sure that Kailash Satyarthi
cape the eyeballs of the rescue team. tory owners. The angry crowd not only yarthi Children’s Foundation took out Tabhi waha kaam chod diya (My former almost every day one to two boys from foundation will give a meaning to their
The team managed to rescue only 12 stopped the rescue team from proceed- a child labour raid-rescue operation master was a cruel person. He would remote parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh life and will look after their education.
boys. “Sigh! Yahan jab bhi raid karo fac- ing but also threatened them and the in Shastri Nagar, east Delhi. It was the hit me over every small thing and with land in the mini trade areas of Shastri At the moment the boys are being
tory walo ko pehle hi pata chal jata hai (the District Magistrate, who was part of the second day of the operation. Joining any object that came handy. That’s why Nagar. taken care of at Mukti Ashram, the re-
factory owners get a whiff of our plan operation with dire consequences. It the team of Kailash Satyarthi Children’s I left the work there),” said Aakash. Even though various studies show habilitation centre of Bachpan Bachao
whenever we raid here),” Arshad, who was a lucky escapade from witnessing Foundation was RED FM India, which Another victim Vijay (name that there has been a dramatic fall in Andolan (BBA) by Kailash Satyarthi
was leading the operation, told Tehelka. any untoward incident. partnered with them for #Bajaofora- changed), who hails from Darbhanga the child labour in the last two decades, foundation.
The team had to face the ire of an On June 26, almost 12 personnel ac- cause, the District Magistrate, K Mahesh, district in Bihar, landed in east Delhi eliminating child labour is still an una-
agitated crowd led by a group of fac- companying the team of Kailash Sat- and Tehelka. three months back to work at a local bating and an arduous task in India. De- LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

TEHELKA / 31 JULY 2018 42 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 31 JULY 2018 43 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

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