Nepalese girls among 24 minors 'rescued'
14 Jun 2008, 0414 hrs IST, Suhas Vyas,TNN
AKOLA: As many as 24 girl artists employed with a circus group were taken into custody for interrogation following a raid on Friday morning. The Raj Mahal Circus shows began here at Akola Cricket Club ground on June 5. Assistant labour commissioner A S Belekar took custody of these 24 girls — most of them Nepalese and some Asamese. The Nepalese embassy made a formal request to the government of India informing about the freeing the Nepalese girls employed by the circus, according Philip Holmes, founder director of Esther Benjamins Trust (EBT), a Nepal based non-government organisation.
An EBT team led by Holmes contacted the local police and the action was taken following a directive issued to this affect by district collector Dr Srikar Pardesi. Holmes, accompanied by his associates Shailaja C M and Dilu Tamang and Nandita Rao, legal advisor of Child Line, said there was no law about prevention of child labour in Nepal and EBT was working for the prevention of illegal human trafficking, child labour, drugs etc.
Talking to TOI, Nandita Rao said preliminary investigation revealed that the girl artists were "treated as prisoners and bonded labour on a meagre wages". They were in a way purchased by paying a meagre sum from their parents, she alleged. Many of the girls female expressed their willingness to go return home. "The girls would be taken back to their native place if they desired so," Rao said. Raj Mahal Circus is Kanpur-based and came into being in 1995. Its owner Fateh Khan executed a unique agreement with the parents of each girl artist to employ them as as an apprentice artist on a meagre wages of Rs 100 per month and providing food, clothes, shelter and medical aid to be borne by the circus management. The execution of agreement was not registered and was made at Kanpur.
Prima facie it appeared that the girls were bonded labours employed by the circus on the pretext of training various acrobatic skills. Khan allegedly paid only Rs 1000 to the parents of the girls initially and laid a condition that the parents would have to reimburse the expenses incurred on the girls by the circus management in case they want to take the girls back.
Out of 20 artists released from the Circus, 6 belonged to Nepal while 14 belonged to India. (12 from WB & 2 from Assam). We sent two teams under the leadership of revenue officials and with adequate police escort to Delhi and Kolkata respectively. The Delhi team has handed over the 6 Nepalese girls to the First Secretary, Embassy of Nepal at New Delhi on June 19, 2008. The second team reached Kolkata on 19th June and has handed over 4 rescued artists to DM Nadia & 8 artists to DM Jalpaigudi. The team is on way to Dhemaji District of Assam where they would be handing over the custody of remaining 2 girls to the DM Dhemaji.
All the rescued artists have been issued the Release Certificate by me as per the provisions of The Bonded Labour Abolition Act, 1974. In addition, the 13 children have been issued the Release Certificate under the provisions of Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. We have given Rs. 1000/- each to the rescued artists as subsistence allowance under the guidelines of Govt. of India regarding rehabilitation of the rescued bonded labourers. As per the scheme, the remaining Rs. 19,000/- are to be given by the DM of their native district towards the rehabilitation of these persons. I have made a request to the concerned District Magistrates about the same.
Congratulations to Collector, SP of Akola Dist. & their NGO partners for saving the lives of 24 minors.
No comments:
Post a Comment