22 May 2007 (BBA) New Delhi: Delhi’s top jewelry brands are now under question for flourishing their business through employing children in slavery like conditions. The shine of their gold ornaments in the market counters belies the dark story of the sweat and blood of thousands of children working to make them.

93 bonded children were rescued by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of the Karol Bagh area along with Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) activists, the Labor Department and the police. These children are now exposing for whom they worked. They allege that they worked for Krishna Jewelers, P.P. Jewelers, P.C. Jewelers, Gandhi Jewelers, N.C. Jewelers, Cycle Jewelers, and Champa Jewelers. The children have been rescued, but the contractors and employers are still scot-free. “Until and unless the entire nexus of traffickers, middlemen, contractors and the principal employers, i.e. the big brands, are brought to book by the law, the inhuman practice of bondage and child labor cannot be stopped. There are at least 3,000 children working in these horrifying conditions in Karol Bagh,” alleged Kailash Satyarthi, the founder of BBA who lead his rescue team last Saturday, 19 May 2007.

12-year-old Saurabh had been working for absolutely no wages for the past two years. Ask about his scars and he says, “I was burnt with acid on lips and arms as I didn’t work as per the owner’s expectations. I stopped telling anybody or crying because, if I did, I would get beaten more. I am happy to be free now.”

Similar are the stories of Rahim, Sukumar and Sahibuddin. None of them had seen their parents or family members for a long time. They were beaten badly with sticks, iron rods and sharp objects. The elder children were even forced to take drugs. Ask Sahib and Rahim whether they are happy and they are all smiles. “Yes, we want to go home and go to school,” they say. Most of these children were trafficked from West Bengal.

“Children are living and working in appalling conditions in the Raigarpura and Beidanpura areas in Karol Bagh. They work in small rooms in 5-story buildings. Each room has 8-10 people and more than half of the workers are children. They eat and sleep in the same room, in which they use dangerous chemicals like lead used for making gold ornaments and gold polishing,” said Chairperson of BBA R.S. Chaurasia.

The children are now at the Mukti Ashram, and their medical examination and other formalities will be completed soon. They will be given a release certificate under the Bonded Labor (Abolition) Act, 1976, by the magistrate and will be repatriated to their home state. According to the law, each child is entitled to the rehabilitation benefit under a special scheme where the children have to be enrolled in school and their parents are given at least 20,000 Rs. worth earning assets.

Mr. Satyarthi said that BBA has written a letter to the jewelers mentioned above as well as to their Union. The letter asks them to prepare a code of conduct and a monitoring system to assure that their gold is free from the stain of child labor. Mr. Satyarthi added, “If proper action is not taken, we will launch a consumer’s campaign to demand a certification for child labor free jewelry.” He also called upon the government and BBA to form a task team and conduct repeated raids in this area to make the industry child labor free.

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