Jaipur: In a joint operation of Bachpan Bachao Andolan-founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and Bindayaka Police Team rescue 8 children from Bindayaka industrial area, where they were working as child labours in a matchbox making factory. Matchbox factory are included under the Hazardous Occupation under the law of the land. All the children were trafficked from Bihar and the Police have also detained one trafficker involved in trafficking the children.
The rescued children are aged between 13 to 17 years and were trafficked by Hira Kumar from their native village in Bihar’s Madhepura district. The children were lured by the trafficker under the false promise of a better life with gainful employment in the Pink City. The children told the rescue team that, “they were being forced to work under stressful and inhuman condition in the matchbox factory for long hours in two shifts per day. Despite feeling tired and sleepy due to overnight work, we could not sleep due to fear of accident as we were working with machines.” The rescue team also learnt from the children that the factory owner made them work for up to 72 hours in a week. The factory owner had rented a small room near the factory, where all the children were being kept for rest and food. The children had been employed in the factory couple of months ago.
Expressing his distress over the employment of under-age children as child labour in hazardous industries, Manish Sharma, director of Bachpan Bachao Andolan said, “Though we have tough laws to protect children from all kinds of exploitation and child labour, people continue to force minor children to work in hazardous activities and exploit them. Many corrupt people are also trafficking young children and forcing them into child labour. These are serious crime and the government should make the child protection and law enforcement agencies proactive at all levels to curb rising crimes against children. The Union government must enact the anti-trafficking bill at the earliest to curb the problem”.
The Police have registered a case under different sections of Juvenile Justice Act, Child Labour Prohibition Act and Bonded Labour Act. All the children have undergone medical examination and have been produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). The children have now been sheltered at Child Care Institution (CCI).
