189 children rescued from bangle manufacturing unit in Rajasthan

ARCHANA SHARMA

Jaipur, June 15 (IANS) The Rajasthan Police have rescued at least 189 children aged between 8 to 17 years from a bangle manufacturing unit in the state in the last two weeks, an official said on Thursday.

All the rescued children were allegedly trafficked from various districts of Bihar and Rajasthan. They were forced to work from 5 in the morning till late at night and received paltry wages, the police said.

A 8-year-old child was rescued from a bangle making unit in Jaipur recently. He was made to work for 18 hours and was served nothing but breakfast at 5 a.m. and was then asked to work till 12 in the night.

Other rescued kids said that there were no working hours for them and there was no regular food time.

"We were asked to wake up at five in the morning and were given some small breakfast which was khichdi in general. However later, there was nothing being offered to us and we were asked to slog till late night. Overall we worked for 18 hours and were paid nothing," they informed.

A child said that he had come to Jaipur with a person who had promised him work opportunities with studies and decent wages.

When asked, how they were brought to Jaipur, they said "Our parents were informed that we will be given working opportunities with studies. They were told that we will get payment here and some amount will be sent to them as well," the children replied.

However, neither were they sent funds nor were we offered salaries. Sometimes we were given Rs 20 a week and sometimes Rs 50. Nothing was fixed and we were left hungry and cashless, said a kid from Bihar.

Meanwhile, an official who helped in rescuing these children said, "A total of 189 children working as child labourers in the age group of 8 years to 17 years have been rescued from Rajasthan. Most of these children were working in bangle manufacturing units."

"The number of children rescued in Rajasthan in the last five years is 2,295. And out of these 1,269 children were rescued from Jaipur," he said.

Sharing details about the children rescued in Rajasthan in June, the official said that at least 189 kids have been rescued in Rajasthan between June 1 to 14. The number of children rescued in Jaipur was 72.

The person from this institute who helped in rescuing these kids said, "The children's age who were rescued in June recently in Rajasthan are under 8 to 17 years. Maximum children rescued are from Bihar and a few are from Rajasthan as well. Mostly they are engaged in Bangle making, automobile garage, dhabas, stitching units, etc," a person from Bachpan Bachao Andolan, who helped in rescuing these kids said, adding that the children have been sent to Child care institutions on the directions of Child Welfare Committee at different districts.

He informed that most of the traffickers come from Bihar and they have changed their modus operandi since Covid. While earlier trains used to be the most common mode of trafficking, now, these traffickers have shifted to buses.

"They book sleeper coach buses to traffic these children," he said adding, "Over 40 traffickers have been arrested in the last few years and each trafficker usually brings in 15 to 20 children."

Mostly the traffickers buy these kids for Rs 500 from their parents and sell them to these units who force them to work for 18 hours a day, sources said.

Manish Sharma, Bachpan Bachao Andolan director, said, "June is the action month when our entire team is working relentlessly in every corner of the country to free children from child labour. We are rescuing children every day and yet there are many who are still languishing in child labour. Even as the state governments and police team have been helping us immensely, our fight is against the societal mindset about child labour."