35 minors rescued from Gandhi Nagar factories

 Thirty-five minor boys, mostly aged between seven and 14, were rescued from garment factories in Gandhinagar area of east Delhi on Thursday. The rescued kids were trafficked from states such as Bihar, Bengal and Uttar Pradesh to work in these factories.

Police also arrested nine employers and sealed 11 factories in the raid that was conducted on the order of Sandeep Gulati, the sub-divisional magistrate, Gandhinagar. The rescued children were sent to Mukti Ashram, the transitory rehabilitation centre of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an NGO working for the rights of children.

Members of the NGO, along with Delhi Police and the labour department had conducted these raids and the rescue operations.

The children were allegedly forced to work for 10 to 12 hours daily. Their work included stitching jeans and shirts for a paltry remuneration of Rs 50-100 per week. Eight-year-old Kishan (name changed), one of the rescued children, said he had been working at the factory for the last six months and had lost all touch with his family during this period. 

“ My uncle forced my father to send me to Delhi on pretext of earning R 5,000-6,000 every month,” he said.

R S Chaurasia, chairperson of BBA, said the raid shows that a lot of child labourers are employed in the garment industry.