By Riya | Rescue Project Director and a Rescued Child
Hello Everyone, this is Riya, Director of Rescue Junction,
I want to personally thank you all for your response to this appeal. This campaign against child slavery is ongoing and a very important part of our services and programs to help children in urgent need and distress.
We are not talking about the odd child working in a shop, this is organised slavery on an industrial scale. Here in South Bihar in Gaya one of the poorest districts in all of India the poverty attracts agents who get commission for every child sold to a factory owner.
Recent changes in the law have helped us a lot in that the owners of factories can be fined for every child found working illegally.
Because of the lawless and difficult working in South Bihar and its isolation, all the big funders give the area a wide berth and although everyone recognises the need and the quality of our ground-breaking work funding is difficult to secure, which is just one of the reasons your donations and help is so important. Global Giving does a wonderful Job because it gives people an opportunity to donate to small organisations like ours with the assurance for donors that they have been carefully vetted with detailed due diligence procedures in place.
We have rescued hundreds of children and your donations will help us continue our work.
This is written by a rescued child.
The man came to my village told my parents I was going for training and education and gave some money to them and they put their thumbprint on some paper. When I went to travel to Rajasthan I was surprised because there were ten other boys in a group. He told me everything would be fine. When we reached Jaipur we were put in a room with no beds and told to sleep on the floor. We were woken at 5am given some bad food and sent to learn how to work with glass to make bangles. Often, we would cut our hands. We had to work until 9pm only we could rest on Sunday. We were told money was being sent home to our parents. We tried to escape but the security guard caught us and we were beaten. I was in hell. We had no access to phones. Then at 4am one day the police broke in with some officers from the labour department and took us away. We went to a children’s home before being sent back to Gaya with officers from labour department and we came here to Rescue Junction. They are giving me education good food and even toys and games to play with and trying to get back in school near my home village.
They are talking to my parents a lot.
I am happy here.
Here is the sound of laughter not crying. I will remember the sound of children crying in the night for a long time.
Pinto (age 10)
To let you all know over 128 children were rescued that day from that dark factory.
All came from Bihar and over 40 came to Rescue Junction
I am pleased to tell you ladies and gentlemen that both the traffickers and the factory owner are in Jail following information gained from the children.
Thank you for your support.
We do need and appreciate your help so much,
Riya
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