Eleven children, who were rescued from a bag factory in the City Market area a week ago, were released and freed to go home to their parents.
The release of children, who were working as bonded labour, was announced by the Assistant Commissioner & Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Bangalore South), on Thursday.
According to Rajendra Kulkarni, member of the Child Welfare Committee (Bengaluru Urban), the boys, along with six others, who the police claimed were aged above 18 years, were working in the factory for 15 hours daily, kept in a cramped room and not allowed to leave the factory premises. While four children were from Nepal, the rest were from a village in Bihar, around 10 km away from the Nepal border.
Mr. Kulkarni said that some of the boys rescued were sent to their families only months ago. “Bengaluru is becoming a haven for child labour. We guide the children back to their hometowns thinking they will go back to school, but these children end up in the city again,” he said.
While the children were promised Rs. 1,500 a month in wages, most were not paid any money at all and had not spoken to their family since they got here, said Anita Kanaiya of The Freedom Project, the non-governmental organisation behind the rescue. The Child Welfare Committee has filed an FIR against the employers.
