New Delhi , November 21: In yet another raid, nearly 450 child labourers were rescued from zari workshops in Shahadra through the joint action by Delhi Police, State Labour Department and a group of NGOs.

The raid conducted was part of the child labour elimination drive by Delhi government, Delhi Police and NGOs, notably Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA). BBA is the pioneer organisation on child labour and in conducting daring raid and rescue operations to rescued bonded and child labourers, and has been mounting a consistent pressure on the administration to liberate child labourers from zari workshops in Delhi. This has resulted in the institution of a Task Force on Labour of which. BBA is an active civil society participant in the Task Force and has had already lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police about the illegal employment of children in zari workshops, providing details of the number of child labourers and locations in trans-Yamuna.
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Kailash Satyarthi, Chair, Bachpan Bachao Andolan and President, Global Campaign for Education was the only civil society representative keynote speaker to address the UNESCO General Conference Ministerial Round Table on Education for All at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris..

More than 50 education ministers and high-ranking officials responsible for education meet during UNESCO's General Conference in Paris (7-8 October 2005) to explore practical ways to address Education for All (EFA) challenges by building on positive examples from different parts of the world.
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The New Heroes tells the 12 dramatic stories of daring people from all corners of the globe who, against all odds, are successfully alleviating poverty and illness, combating unemployment and violence, and bringing education, light, opportunity and freedom to poor and marginalized people around the world.

Also known as "social entrepreneurs," they develop innovations that bring life-changing tools and resources to people desperate for viable solutions. Identifying and solving large-scale social problems requires a committed person with a vision and determination to persist in the face of daunting odds. Ultimately, social entrepreneurs are driven to produce measurable impact by opening up new pathways for the marginalized and disadvantaged, and unlocking society's full potential to effect social change.
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The recently concluded Global Action Week 2005 activities in India witnessed the active participation of Global March partner Bachpan Bachao Andolan/South Asia Coalition on Child Servitude (BBA/SACCS). The event which received wide support from the media and public, was organized under the auspices of a Working Group for Global Action Week comprising of National Coalition for Education, Global March International Secretariat, Commonwealth Education Fund (CEF), CARE India, Christian Children’s Fund (CCF), Action for Abilites Development and Inclusion and IACR. The focus of the weeklong activities was the “Send My Friend to School” campaign, which was successful in mass mobilisation and sensitisation to the cancerous problem of growing illiteracy in the country. During the week, parliamentarians were also lobbied to keep their promises on education with special focus on girls’ education. Events were held at district, state and national levels to achieve these objectives.
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A wake-up call was sounded by more than 60 children to remind the parliamentarians of the promises made by Indian government regarding girl child’s education. Knocking on the doors of the parliamentarians, these children who were former child labourers and once deprived of education themselves had a one-to one talk with the M.Ps.

Shri Kailash Satyarthi, President of BBA & Global Campaign for Education (GCE), who accompanied the children urged the MPs to take steps towards the formation of National Commission on Education that will ensure the implementation of Right to Education. He demanded the M.Ps to hold earnest debate on these critical issues in the parliament to achieve the goal of gender parity in school enrollment by the end of 2005.
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The recent release of children from the evil clutches of bondage and abuse of embroidery garment manufacturers, in pockets of Delhi, has vindicated the long time stand taken by Bachpan Bachao Andolan and its activists. We had pioneered such raids and our efforts had borne fruit. In 2003 and 2004 in two separate raids, our activists had been instrumental in getting 24 children released from garment manufacturers in Okhla and Govindpuri area of Delhi. Those released were in the age group of 9 to1 3 years, doing invisible work from morning to late evening and getting almost negligible remuneration (Rs 20-50 per week).
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“ROPES IN THEIR HANDS”…….weavers of childhood, the documentary on child trafficking prepared by BBA has been nominated for prestigious New York International Independent Film & Video Festival (NYIIFVF).

This documentary unearths the plight of the victims of child trafficking. It brings to light the morbid reality behind the facade of glamour and glitz of the circus world. The documentary was conceived after the last major raid and rescue operation that saw the release of 12 Nepali girls from the Great Roman circus.
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On the eve of 23rd January 2005, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) organized a world premier of the documentary “ROPES IN THEIR HANDS”…..weavers of childhood, in the India Habitat Center. The documentary endavour to unearth the morbid realities and trauma of the victims of trafficking and lift the veil off the circus industry to expose its sordid, ugly face away from the colourful facade, glamour and glitz we have witnessed till date.
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Bachpan Bachao Andolan, once again acted as the catalyst and emerged with a victory in its struggle to ensure free quality education for all children.

In Rajasthan, the Andolan’s efforts led to the State Human Rights Commission in issuing a directive to the Secretary, Education Department and Bikaner’s Primary Education Director to guarantee that free education remained free for classes 1st to 8th in government schools. No development fees should be charged from children coming from the economically deprived families. The Commission has also made the District Education Officer accountable to oversee that there is no violation of the order.
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Senator Christovam Buarque, the architect of the innovative concept of BOLSA ESCOLA, visited BBA (SACCS) central office on 7th February. Senator Buarque, is set to be the next President of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Federal Senate in Brazil.
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