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Raxual, 10 March 2007: The South Asian March Against Child Trafficking after marching through the town of Raxual addressed the meeting at the Raxual Railway Station. Raxual Station is the last station in India before Nepal. It is also a recognised transit point for trafficking of persons from Nepal and India for labour exploitation.
While the marchers were addressing the public on the evils of trafficking and slavery, the people complained that through the Raxual station, trains leave carrying a large number of children from nearby villages in India and Nepal. On hearing this, the marchers lead by Kailash Satyarthi entered the station. Ironically, Satyargraha Express was stationed at the platform. Satyagraha was the name of -Gandhi's Campaign for truth that started from Raxaul – Champaran area. The train travels from Raxaul to New Delhi. As BBA activists entered the train coach, they could see at least two-dozen children. As the Bachpan Bachao Andolan team started questioning the children, they saw that some adults were rounding off the children and fleeing the coach.
A heated argument erupted between some of the adults (traffickers) and the BBA activists. The traffickers started abusing and manhandling the BBA activists. After a long 2-hour confrontation, 9 children and 12 traffickers were taken to the Railway Protection Force Station. The police did not entertain the BBA activists at first, until Kailash Satyarthi intervened and spoke with the Deputy Superintendent of Police. As the police was dilly-dallied, 3 traffickers fled the police station with 3 children.
After a long legal discussion and argument, the police finally registered a complaint by the BBA and started questioning the traffickers. On interrogation, two of the traffickers confessed that they had regularly trafficked children from Sitamarhi, Motihari and nearby areas to work in zari (embroidery) units in Delhi. Another confessed that he used to traffic children to work in his workshop as well as sell them to other employers. All the others confessed to trafficking of boys for work.
The youngest boy rescued was a mere 7 years old while the oldest was 14 years of age. All the boys were being trafficked to work in zari (embroidery) workshops in Delhi. It is notable that a large number of children are working in slavery in zari sweatshops in Delhi and in 2005- 2006 alone; more than 1500 children have been rescued from bonded labour by BBA in Delhi.
The rescued children have been handed over to their distraught parents now, who have pledged not to send their boys to work or for education with any person.
On talking with the locals of the area, it was found that a new trend in trafficking has emerged. Due to the recent rescue operations being conducted in zari workshops in Delhi by the BBA and its partners, the employers have stopped payment of the older workers. The older workers are being forced by the employers to track the rescued boys and bring them back to the zari units, and unless they bring back the boys their payments are being refused.
The problem is also compounded by police inaction and connivance with the traffickers and employers. The police are bribed by the traffickers according to the locals to turn a blind eye to the rampant trafficking of children – intrastate as well as cross-border – that takes place through the entire Bihar.
BBA is involved in training Police officers in 5 states in the laws relating to trafficking and forced labour and ironically just on Friday, 9th March, 2007, Bhuwan Ribhu, BBA National Secretary had been training Bihar Police officers in the first Training of Trainers on Trafficking and Forced Labour.
10 March 2007, 3:00 PM, Bettiah – Bettiah is probably the most important historical place in the March. It is here in Champaran that Gandhi started his famous Satyagrah. The South Asian March Against Child Trafficking is translating Gandhian philosophy into action.
The meeting stated at 3 pm in the heart of the city after being delayed for more than an hour due to the raid and the legal process afterwards at Raxaul in the morning. The Zila Parishad Pramukh inaugurated the meeting which was being attended by more than 500 local women and children.
The meeting started with the facilitation of senior BBA leaders by local leaders by presenting them with a Gandhi statue.
While addressing the meeting, BBA state convener for Bihar, Ajoy Singh, welcomed all the marchers and lauded them for their undertaking of this gargantuan task. He appealed to the locals to join hands with the marchers in making this campaign a success.
The cultural team from Punjab gave a short performance followed by the Zila Parishad Pramukh welcoming the March in Bettiah.
Kailash Satyarthi in his speech reminded the people of Gandhi and the value of sacrifice and selflessness. He remembered all the martyrs of the Indian freedom struggle and commented that the dreams that they had for independent India have somehow gotten lost. After more than 59 years of independence, children are still bought and sold like cattle. He said that the worst thing is that the price of a human is less than the price of a buffalo or even a television. The need of the hour is for all people to be united and create a world of justice, equity and peace.
The meeting concluded with all the Marchers being presented with a memento. |
