20 child labourers rescued in Delhi

New Delhi: Twenty child labourers have been rescued from zari (embroidery) units and dhabas (roadside eateries) in south Delhi, a statement by a child rights NGO that assisted police and labour officials in the operation said yesterday.

"Twenty child labourers were rescued from Garhi Gaon in the Amar Colony police station area. They were mostly rescued from zari units and some from dhabas. They were brought from Bihar and West Bengal," a statement from Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) said.

Activists of BBA had assisted police and officials of the labour department in the rescue operation.

The children are in the 8 to 14 age group.

According to the statement, the children were brought by middlemen who lured them with promises of a better life in Delhi.

"But when they reached here, the reality was totally different. They had to work for more than 10 to 12 hours everyday without proper food and rest," the statement added.

"Some of them narrated how they were beaten up by their employer when they were unable to accomplish their task on time. Some even said that they had to stay on empty stomachs," it added.

Farhan, all of eight years of age, is the youngest of the rescued children. He said: "I am very happy that I don't have to work any more. I want to go to school."

Unhygienic

The units where the children were working were situated in narrow lanes.

The rooms where they worked were unhygienic, and the children had to eat and sleep in the same room, the statement said.

During the rescue operation, six employers were arrested and eight factories were sealed.