Child labour survivors share stories of hope and courage

Time of India

12-06-2025

Ranchi: Children, who were once forced to work in homes, factories, and roadside stalls, narrated the struggles of their past lives and thereafter, the path of hope after being rescued.
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The survivors shared their stories during a programme organised on the occasion of 'World Day Against Child Labour' by the Bal Kalyan Sangh (BKS) in coordination with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The event aimed to raise awareness about the realities of child labour and highlight the importance of rescue, rehabilitation, and education for affected children.
Meanwhile, 120 children from Khuti district were engaged in agriculture, domestic work, and unregulated industries in cities in May this year.
Chaibasa, Sahibganj, Pakur, Gumla, Simdega, Ranchi, Latehar, Chatra, and Khunti were the most vulnerable districts that contributed to the child labour pool. This was revealed during a survey conducted the BKS.
A 16-year-old rescued domestic worker from Delhi, Mina Sangha, said, "I used to clean, cook, and take care of children from morning till night. I didn't know what school even looked like. But today, I go to school in my Chhata village.
I dream of becoming a teacher so that no child undergoes what I did."
A report by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in 2024 found 228 Koderma children engaged as labourers. In West Singhbhum, 595 orphans and 1,393 children were identified in vulnerable circumstances and are in the process of being mainstreamed. Around 508 children, many hailing from the state's tribal and rural areas, were found involved in domestic and other forms of labour in metropolitan cities like Delhi.
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The kids were rescued and rehabilitated.
Rescued in 2019 after four years of labour in Ghaziabad, Rima Kashyap was brought back to her native village in Ratu block. Rima said, "I was forced to work in harsh conditions from a very young age. After rescue, I was enrolled in a vocational training programme, under which girls are trained as security guards at Burmu. I have been working as a security guard with the Central Institute of Psychiatry since 2023."
Budhmani Oraon, who was taken as a child labour when she was a 7-year-old, said, "I was admitted to Project Uchayaa Vidyalaya, Bijupara. I developed a deep interest in social justice." A paralegal volunteer (PLV) working with the district legal services authority (DLSA), she helps others understand their legal rights and fights against child labour and abuse.
The national project coordinator at the ILO, Lakshmi Narasimhan Gadiraju, said, "Ending child labour means empowering families, educating children, and strengthening communities.
Dial 1098, the toll-free national child helpline, available 24/7 to ensure timely rescue and protection."
State labour department secretary Jitendra Kumar said, "We are actively working to eliminate child labour. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that no child is deprived of a safe and nurturing childhood."
A rescued child labourer from Ratu block, Fatima Ekka, said, "I was rescued and brought back to Jharkhand in 2023 after being employed as a domestic worker in Delhi for over four years.
With the support from BKS Security, Burmu, I received training as a security guard and now serve as the security head at Audrey House."
BKS, in coordination with the International Labour Organization (ILO), would implement a state action plan on child labour later this month to focus on identification, rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of child labourers, with dedicated strategies tailored to the state's socio-economic and demographic realities.