17^th February 2009, Hazaribagh (Jharkhand) and New Delhi - A family outing without a stop at Punjabi dhaba is incomplete. Children love tandoori roti with Dal makhani and you like to have an Aloo ka Paratha. You call upon the waiter to take down your order and as an aware consumer you ask him what all ingredients he is using and  the water of the golgppa is mineral water or not.

But you see a black spot on your table you call upon a chotu who is badly dressed up smells like he didn't had bath for almost a week. You see a burnt mark on his left hand and tears in his eyes. He comes to your table cleans it and with one hand wipes his tears. But you ignore his tears and his silent complaint made to you.

In the ongoing campaign India Action Month 2009,  today there were 120 bonded child labouers rescued from Jharkhand (103) and New Delhi (17) from road side eateries. 

103 children were rescued from Dhabas (roadside eateries) in Jharkhand . The children were of age 7-15 years old. The youngest child Raju (name changed ) 7 years old was working in the Dhaba for one and half year "I wanted to go home but whenever I used to tell this to my owner he used to beat me  and made me work double from my normal chores. Therefore I stopped complaining"

The raid was conducted in 58 Roadside eateries by Govind Khanal , National Secretary of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) and member of  District Bonded Labour Vigilance Committee with the help of District Magistrate,Hazaribagh , Mr Vinay Kumar , Sub Divisional Magistrate  (SDM) Mr. Ravindra Kumar , Deputy Labour Commissioner Mr Shahnwaz Khan. Suprintendent of Police (SP) Mr Pankaj Kamboj .

Mr. Govind Khanal National Secretary of BBA and member of District Bonded Labour Vigilance Committee "all theses children were working in the most inhuman conditions and were never even paid for their hardship".

Mr Ravinder Kumar , SDM said that "The case will be filed under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 and Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976 and Juvinile Justice Act. All the children would be sent to NCLP schools.

Delhi Being the capital of the country it is perceived that the laws would be implemented faster but the situation here was not different from Jharkhand BBA team aided with SDM Mr. Ranjit Singh and local police rescued 17 bonded child labourers from the Dhabas.

Mr. Kailash Satyarthi , Founder of BBA and renowned child rights activists said that " it has been 2 years since the domestic child labour amendment came into power but then the law remained a paper tiger. Due to no implementation of law the children are still loosing their childhood in washing the leftovers. Its high time and we all need to pull up of socks and work together to stop the exploitation of children."

Contact Details:

Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement)

L-6, Kalkaji,

New Delhi 110019

India

Website: www.bba.org.in

Umesh Gupta, Coordinator Campaigns and Communication, (Mob.)  92120 89894

Additional Information:

Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) has emerged as an organisation of thousands of individual supporters under the banner of 'Bachpan Bachao Andolan' as well as network of over 780 NGOs, Trade Unions, Human Rights Organisation etc. dedicated towards the total elimination of child labour and quality education for all in India. Bachpan Bachao Andolan has released over 76,000 child and bonded labourers since 1980.

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