New Delhi, 7th May, 2010: Continuing its big hammer approach to curb child trafficking for forced labor in Capital, The Delhi State Task Force on Elimination of Child Labour, local Police and Labour Department on an investigation and complaint filed by Bachpan Bachao Andolan, conducted the fifth raid in last 9 days, arrested 5 employers and rescued 16 children.

The children, falling in the age bracket of 9-14 were rescued from plastic, steel and bakery factories running in Shivji Pura and Mukherjee Market of Karolbagh. All the rescued child labourers are victims of child trafficking who were brought from states of U.P, Bihar and Nepal on the enticement of education and better life. Imran (name changed to protect identity), 9 years, said, “The babu (employer) promised my parents in Bihar that he would enrol me in school and teach the process of making bags. Once here, I never went to school and have been making bags for years in these ill-lit rooms.”

11 year old Afrat (name changed to protect identity) says, “My previous employer kidnapped me from Nepal. I was exploited for 2 years before I fled from there. I didn’t have any money to go back home so I had to come back to work in this bakery. My hands are burnt by working in extremely high temperatures. The work begins at 9 in the morning and end at 1 in the night.”

Before this, BBA had conducted a raid in the same area of Karolbagh in February. Mr. R.S Chaurasia, Chairperson of BBA said, “We have rescued children from the same area in the past. Our sources kept informing us about more children who had been working in adjoining areas. So, we filed a complaint and came back to liberate children. It is a part of our exercise to abolish child labour in the National capital. The Labour Department has been very cooperative in our ambition.”

SDM Karolbagh, Mr. A.K Pandey, who was also present in the raid said, “This is the second time we are conducting a raid in the same area. We have arrested five employers/traffickers and would ensure that they are booked under strictest penal provisions so that it sets a precedent for others.”

Four employers namely  Mohd. Riaz, Mohd. Wahid, Mohd. Khalan and Mohd. Mustafa arrested from Mukherjee market, are suspected to have employed children to make bags to be used for census. The case has to be further investigated.

Others who actively participated in the raid were Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members, Ms. Sobha Vijendra and Mr. Ram Narayan Rai along with National Secretary of BBA, Mr. Rakesh Senger.