Victims of forced labour recall trauma of captivity
Twenty-nine-year-old Devendra Kumar spent 11 months working in a textile factory in Coimbatore, at the age of 14 years. He was among 30 children from Chandauli who were carted off one fine morning, with the promise of earning daily wages. Rather than being paid, the children were beaten for indiscipline and neglected when they got sick. It was a rescue operation in Coimbatore that led to the discovery of the textile factory where Kumar worked.
LUCKNOW: As a part of Mission Vatsalya under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the state has intensified efforts to apprehend and rescue victims of forced labour and child trafficking, especially in districts with less employment and more cheap labour, as well as at railway stations and in trains.
The Indian Railways is currently running a pan-India campaign, and rescued six children being trafficked to Hardoi on July 27 from Charbagh station. Other organisations like Bachpan Bachao Andolan and British Asian Trust have also teamed up with the state and central governments to spread awareness in rural areas.
HT spoke to two survivors of human trafficking, who recalled their experience as bonded labourers. They are now working to rescue other children in UP from the same fate -
Only earned Rs. 5K in 3 years: Brijesh Banwasi (40)
“My whole family was trafficked from Bhadohi to Varanasi for bonded labour, when I was 24,” said Brijesh Banwasi, adding, “My son was only 7 at the time.” He recalled that his entire family, including his wife, son, mother, brother and sister-in-law were promised work and taken to Varanasi.
“We were forced to work there for three years, laying bricks and stones and did not get a penny after the first Rs. 5000,” he recalled. The family was locked in a room and constantly monitored, even accompanied to the markets and toilets. “Every week, we were given Rs. 250-Rs. 300 to buy groceries. Trying to run away was impossible, we would be beaten if we tried.”
One night, when Brijesh’s brother managed to escape, they dragged Brijesh out of the room in the middle of the night, and tried to murder him by pushing him into a pit of coal. Terrified, his instinct kicked in and he managed to push his assailant away, shouting and making enough noise to wake up his family and other workers. This final blow was his ticket out of bonded labour. His brother later even survived an attempted murder by their former employer after the family filed a case against him.
“No matter how long ago this happened to our family, recalling the trauma always makes me cry. Those of us who came out of bonded labour have created the Azad Shakti Sansthan and we spread awareness on trafficking and bonded labour in rural areas,” he said.
Chandauli to Coimbatore: 11 months before rescue - Devendra Kumar (29)
Twenty-nine-year-old Devendra Kumar spent 11 months working in a textile factory in Coimbatore, at the age of 14 years. He was among 30 children from Chandauli who were carted off one fine morning, with the promise of earning daily wages.
“Chandauli was typically a place with a lot of cheap labour and impressionable families. One such middleman came to our doorstep and convinced my family to send me away for work. We had been promised Rs. 350 - Rs. 400 daily, but what was waiting for us was abuse and mistreatment,” said Kumar. “The language barrier was the first inconvenience and most of us belonged to other states,” he shared, recalling that it was extremely frightening to be living away from family and not knowing how to escape the exploitation.
Rather than being paid, the children were beaten for indiscipline and neglected when they got sick. It was a rescue operation in Coimbatore that led to the discovery of the textile factory where Kumar worked.
“I returned with around 28 other kids who were taken away from our district.” Kumar and the others filed a case against the middleman who recruited them, which took over 5 years to be resolved.
He now works with the British Asian Trust, to create awareness about child trafficking in rural areas. He said, “Sadly, here in Chandauli, the situation is not much different than what it was . There is still a lack of employment opportunities and after Covid, many families fell into economic despair, prompting them to take the risk of sending their children away on the promise of a stranger.”
