WAS YOUR SPARKLING DIAMOND MINED BY CHILD SLAVES?
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, was stunned by the magnitude and scale
of slavery which he saw in the diamond mines. "I was horrified by what I saw at the minefields", he said.
These diamonds are not "blood diamonds" and are readily exported to Antwerp and other locations where they are polished and make their
way to your local department store or jeweler.
You can assist by purchasing from those diamonds and gems from companies which we support. As we receive requests from around the world (from the USA to Iraq), let us know what country you live in. |
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"COVID-19 COULD PUSH MILLIONS INTO SLAVERY" | |||||
September 16, 2020.Tomoya Obokata, the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, warns that COVID-19 risks pushing millions of children, women and men into contemporary forms of slavery and other forms of exploitation unless governments act now to protect them, a UN human rights expert warned today.
“There is an acute risk that the poorest will be pushed into bonded labour, forced labour or other contemporary forms of slavery for survival,” he said. He particularly called for accountability for businesses that exploit vulnerable workers producing, processing and providing medicine, medical equipment or p ersonal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic. |
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GIRLS RESCUED | |||||
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CHILD LABOR IN FASHION
The Fashion Design Council of India has collaborated with Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation to launch #Notmadebychildren campaign. The campaign aims to stop child labour in India's fashion and textile industries."There are so many people who follow fashion," Kailash said. "So, I feel this is one of the great platforms to raise voice against child labor. Fashion industry is not only about beauty and glamour. People involved in fashion are also responsible for creating awareness and education among people." "This movement will enhance the inner beauty and outer beauty of the fashion industry and of course will help in changing the lives of our children." Fashion designers like Rina Dhaka, Rahul Mishra and Reynu Taandon were a part of the pledge ceremony. |
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Ïn 2018 Her Excellency Nikki Hayley, the then Permanent Representative of the US to the United Nations, met rescued child laborers at the Mukhi Ashram in India.
Many of these children were rescued in commando style-raids which the Society funds. Many
of our supporters ask us why these raids are necessary.
Early direct intervention in the form of unarmed commando-style raids can rescue children from further abuse and exploitation. A commando-style raidis the fastest and most efficient way to rescue them, as children who are being exploited or abused cannot wait indefinitely. These operations must, however, be handled in a professional manner and with the utmost care. Most parents have no idea where their children are. Many of them approach our partners, the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, asking them to help them find their children. A raid and rescue operation starts with trying to find the child, collecting intelligence on his or her whereabouts. Agents of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan launch a detailed investigation and collect intelligence from their sources, especially in those States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh where child labor is endemic. As soon as a child is located, this intelligence is passed on to the parents. THE SOCIETY IN ACTION
THIS IS THE SOCIETY IN ACTION The Society wishes once again to thank all our members and supporters for their support. The raid is then carefully planned. The local administration is informed about the impending raid to ensure police protection, if needed, during the operation. However, the precise location and exact date of the raid has to be kept secret from the authorities, the police and local politicians. This is because many local politicians and administrators are corrupt and are bribed by the owners. This was the reason why one of the raids in late 2011 was unsuccessful. Agents had procured 500 children, either by kidnapping or by false promises to their parents. The children were destined for sweatshops in Mumbai (it used to be called Bombay), a major city in India. The agents were taking the children to Mumbai by train. The police were ready and waiting to seize them and rescue the children when the train arrived at Mumbai train station. News of the impeding raid was leaked to the agents — which was very easy as they had cell phones. The agents disembarked with the children en route before the train arrived at its destination. A raid and rescue operation, of course, involves considerable personal risk for the rescuers.
Although these commando-style raids are unarmed, the wicked men who beat and abuse these children usually employ armed thugs and goons. For example, in March 2011 there was an apparent attempt to kill Kailash Satyarthi. The Society's Secretary remember Rama Kant Rai showing him the wounds that he had received from owners’ thugs while carrying out raids. Others have been dragged in chains behind cars and threats made against their families. Some owners have even attempted to murder rescuers. Several attempts were made to murder Rama Kant Rai and Kailash Satyarthi, who was chairman of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan and spearheads the effort to free children from the various forms of child slavery, bonded child labor and child pawnage, thus directly undermining their profits. Raid and rescue is not an end in itself. Rehabilitation, social reintegration and restoring them to their parents complete every rescue. Rescue without effective rehabilitation and repatriation is futile, as there is a real risk that a rescued child will once again fall back into the cycle of exploitation. After children are rescued, their official release certificates must be secured from the local administration. These release certificates help them obtain their statutory rehabilitation package. This can take a long time, and obtaining these release certificates and rehabilitation packages from government bureaucracies places an enormous pressure on the Bachpan Bachao Andolan’s resources. The freed children are currently staying in the transit rehabilitation center of Bal Ashram (Jaipur), Rajasthan, before being restored to their parents. Rehabilitation centers like Mukti Ashram and Bal Ashram allow rescued children to recover before being restored to their parents. Bal Ashram in Rajasthan is a rehabilitation center where rescued children are given basic education and vocational training, along with special care and attention to their individual development. They also participate in sporting activities. Children aged 13 and over are also provided with vocational training in a trade of their choice (such as carpentry, tailoring, welding, motor winding, screen printing, painting, organic farming and kitchen gardening).The vocation is chosen keeping in mind their interest in a particular trade and their earning prospects in the local area when they finish. Who carries out these commando-style raids? Our partners, the Bachpan Bachao Andolan. They are based in New Delhi, India. Your support helps fund these raids. Why doesn’t the government act? The government has laws against these practices, but they are often not enforced. Some labor inspectors who were interviewed by the BBC World Service explained that they will not investigate unless they receive a direction from their superior or from a Supreme Court judge or from an executive magistrate. It is therefore often rather futile forwarding complaints to the Labour Department and waiting for it to act. |
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