No more tears: Freed child labourers head home

They only saw Mumbai’s seamy side — long hours of work and abuse. Rescued by cops, 51 child labourers took a midnight train home o...

They only saw Mumbai’s seamy side — long hours of work and abuse. Rescued by cops, 51 child labourers took a midnight train home on Saturday. CHITRANGADA CHOUDHARY reports

Mohammed (17) rues a childhood lost

• I left my village Choravita when I was 13 and came to Bombay with a man who promised to find me work in a zari factory. In the last four years, I have worked in different units — first at Nana Chowk, then Tulsiwadi, Kurla and lastly, at Filterpada. I would work from 8.30 am to 11.30 pm. Mera kaam tha chamak jaadna (My job was to dust the glitter).

Shoaib seth would export the salwars to Saudi Arabia. He paid me Rs 50 a week. Every year, I would save Rs 1,500 to send home. Being the eldest son, my family’s responsibility lies with me.

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I was beaten only when I made mistakes. Doesn’t that happen everywhere? I will stay at Choravita for a year, try and learn how to write. Then I will return to work. Koi bhi kaam jisse pet bhar jaye (Any job that will help fill my stomach). My Karan Arjun film CD is still lying at the karkhana (factory).

Aslam (6) learns to dream

• I came from Sitamarhi, Bihar, with Jehangir to see Mumbai. He put me in the zari factory. I had worked there for 10 months when these people (gesturing at the police) brought me to Dongri welfare home and locked me up. I disliked the factory. I worked from 8 am to 10 pm, sewing flowers. I was beaten regularly and given no money but I ate chaawal and dal. I want to go back home to Abba, Ammi and Juhi.

What happens now?

• The 51 children are being escorted by an equal number of officials from the Mumbai Police’s Juvenile Aid Police Unit. It’s their responsibility to hand them over to the local administration in Patna who will take the children to their homes.

All the children have rescue certificates issued by the Collector. Under the Juvenile Justice Act, this entitles their families to

• Monetary compensation

• Alternative employment for an adult in the family

• Education for the child

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But the administration in Bihar is criminally lax on these issues, say professionals working in the field.

Coordination between state governments — in this case, Bihar and Maharashtra — is also poor.

The employers?

• On December 9, the police had raided zari units in Filterpada, Powai. Thirty-three of the 51 children on their way to Patna were rescued from here. Four employers were arrested, only to be released on bail that very day.

The rate of conviction is extremely low for the offence which carries a maximum of three years’ imprisonment and a heavy fine. This, coupled with poor implemenation of laws, say activists, adds to the problem.