Child Smuggling - Selling Children for a Buck

Below is an article from the Times of India describing how police discovered some children being trafficked in Bihar. For every child rescued probably hundreds of others suffer as indentured servants or essentially slave labor. Just a reminder that the enslavement industry is active every minute of every day.

Children working in a brick factory



12 MINORS RESCUED FROM TRAFFICKERS
KISHANGANJ, BIHAR, July 26, 2008: Close on the heels of the incident of 20 bonded child labourers being rescued from a train here on July 21, as many as 12 children, who were being trafficked, were rescued by the railway protection force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) forces at Kishanganj railway station on Thursday night.

One tout Asrar Ahmad was also arrested. Two of his accomplices, however, pulled the wool over the eyes of RPF and GRP personnel and slipped away, sources said.

The rescued children are in the age group of 6 to 10, except two, who are about 14 years, said RPF sources.

RPF sources said the small children were huddled together on platform no 2. They were awaiting the Jodhpur-bound Jodhpur-Guwahati Express to arrive so that they could board it. The train was, however, running behind schedule. Meanwhile, RPF Inspector S K Prasad, accompanied by some personnel, was walking on the platform at 8 pm when he spotted the group of boys huddled in a corner on the platform. As they began to quiz them, they shuffled.

A person posing to be their custodian, appeared claiming that the children were being taken to school. But on a little more probing, it became clear that the man was a tout and a trafficker.

The RPF and GRP personnel took him into custody. The rescued children including Kalam, Ishtehar, Arshad and Mohd Kalim disclosed that they hailed from villages in West Bengal.

Nine Orhpan Boys

Nine orphan boys live at the Rise Up School in Bakrour Village. They live all together with their caretaker in a 11 foot x 25 foot room. During the day their room is converted to a classroom where two classes are held at once. The boys were orphaned either by their parents death or they have been given up because of a broken marriage. None of the boys know their exact birthdays so we guessed their ages. These boys live under very strict supervision and they really exist in a very small world of the school, the open area of the banyan tree next to the school, and sometimes they play in the nearby dry river bed. They have few processions. Basically they have a change of clothes and whatever toiletries and school supplies that will ft into a day pack. They are very well behaved. They get along well with each other and they are fantastically respectful of their elders. They are starved for affection and they would fight to simply hold Sheri’s hand. The boys are very simple. They are mostly uncontaminated by outside influences. No money, no TV, no radio, no telephone. They lead a hard life without really knowing it. During the summer it is unbearably hot, day and night. The electricity is out most of the time. With no electricity it is dark and it is not possible to pump water to the roof tank and it often runs empty. They are continuously exposed to the filth and contamination that is endemic in India. The have no privacy or personal space. But the school provides a safe place with nutritious food, good supervision, and they have whole school full of friends. Before and after school many village children visit and play with the boys. In the end these boys have the same capacity as all children to play, to have high spirits, and to give and receive love unconditionally.

Goals for 2009 - Rise Up India School

We have many goals for the RISE UP INDIA School but our main goal is to add a second story to the existing building. And with the magic of Photo Shop we can see what we’re shooting for.




Hey that two story building looks pretty good. The existing one story school gets a lot of use. It is a village center and has a good reputation. The second story will allow for four more classrooms and give the orphans a room of their own that doesn’t need to be converted back and forth each day from bedroom to classroom and back. The proposed addition is estimated to cost about $17,000. In addition to the second story it will probably be necessary to purchase a generator (electricity, if available, is on maybe 3 to 6 hours per day and then the voltage is quite variable). The generator is necessary to pump water into the roof tanks (imagine 80 students spending the day at school with no water, it gets stinky). Four more classrooms will require four more teachers. We also want to get a couple more computers (laptops). We are hoping someone out here will be willing to donate some old ones. The orphans, as they grow up, will leave our school (we go to 5th grade). Government schools are a really poor option. Sheri and Curtis are currently sponsoring two of the orphans at a quality private school. This costs about $350 dollars per year. (Imagine: books, tuition, uniforms, transportation, everything for $350 dollars! This makes a huge difference in the life of an orphan)(FYI public expenditure per student in Bend=$8000; in Oregon=$10,000). And of course we need money just to keep things going on a day to day basis. Our teachers and staff are working for rock bottom salaries ($25 to $40 per month). They are doing their part in really hard conditions. Please remember if you donate there is no middle-man. The money contributed goes straight to the school (hey, its tax deductible too). And believe you me money goes a long way in India.

Please consider donating, or attending one of our Rise UP India events. Cheers and thanks.