My master beat me brutally with, charred my hand in the flames of a gas stove and then branded me with red-hot iron rod" recounts the seven year old Ashraf Ali. This barbaric treatment was a punishment for drinking a left over milk at his master's house.

Ashraf, son of Karim Ullah Khan was taken away as a domestic help for Hamid Hussain, Ministry of Agriculture, through a neighbour Aslam, who was a friend of Hussain's peon, Sudershan. Ashraf's parents

come from Begusarai District in Bihar, India and have been living at Sangam Vihar in Delhi for the last seven yeras. The child's parents are unemployed due to sickeness and ther family is economically deprived. Ashraf's parents were promised that their boy will have no other work except playing with and giving company to the children of the house. Apart from being fed and clothed well, Ashraf was also promised a government job on growing up. Without doubting the broker's promises the parents oif the boy gladly handed him over to Aslam.

But just after two weeks Aslam was asked by Sudarshan to take the child back. When he went to the officer's house to pick up the child, Aslam was apalled to find Ashraf 's hand and feet tied up. On enquiring, Alam was told that the boy had burnt himself while cooking chappattis. The child himself was unable to utter a word as he was threatened by his employers. Ashraf was returned back to his parents.

The parents were shocked to see their little boy return from the officer's house with swollen lips and bleeding from his mouth and cheek. The back side of his hand was severely burnt and blood was oozing out from the numerous fresh wounds on his left eyebrow, chest, groin and legs. The boy was traumatised and unable to speak.

However, after a couple of hours Ashraf explained he was not given proper food and ws beaten up regularly by Mr Hussain. One day he was given some milk to give to Hussain's children and some milk was left over in the glass. Being very hungry, Ashraf drank the last few drops. At this, Hussain beat him up severely, hitting him in testecles, burned his hand over the flames of a gas stove and even branded his body with red-hot iron rods.

The poor parents, shocked by the cruelties met out to their little child, treated his wounds with some local medicines. The next morning, they took Ashraf to the nearest medical clinic as the child's health was further deteriorating. The doctor at the clinic however, advised that Ashraf be taken to a bigger hospital instead, as the wounds were extremely severe. The doctors at big hospital advised the parents to report the case to the police, as the boy's condition appeared to be a medico-legal case.

Ashraf was carried to the police post from where they went to Mr. Hussain's house along with a policeman. Being a gazette officer, Mr. Hussain however refused to talk.

After many deliberations, Mr. Hussain was finally brought to the police station one afternoon where he was met by Ashraf, his mother and the middleman, Aslam. Being an influential man, Mr. Hussain had the police on his side and they forced the boy's mother to put a thumb impression on a document, a copy of which was denied to her.

On leaving the police station, Hussain's peon handed the mother RS. 500 as compensation which she threw away. It looked a lost battle to the poor parents, as they had neither money nor power to fight the injustice on their son.

Ultimately, the mother approached the officer at the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude (SACCS). SACCS initiated the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to Ashraf's woes and by their continuous efforts, Ashraf was produced before NHRC Chairman and on September 14, 1996 and SACCS is striving to secure justice for Ashraf.