[Reader-list] A failed child-labour rescue and other dilemmas ofJamia Nagar

[TaraPrakash]

It's a good question Yousuf but sadly you won't find a reasonable answer on 
this list. The answer requires little rational thinking, but of late we are 
reacting emotionally most of the time ont his list.
I would like to say though that Indian intelligentsia is largely complicit 
in this on going human rights violation. There is a hidden property in the 
definition of human rights, that unless it is the state involved it can't be 
called violation.
If your name suggested that you were Hindu, by now a lot of people would 
have pelted their metaphorical stones at you. Yours seems to be a minority 
voice, we don't give a damn for the minorities with in minority. Those who 
can bark the loudest get heard. I hope Jamia Solidarity kind of organization 
will be formed at JMI to help these children.
I wonder if Islam says anything against child labor. I can say for sure 
though that it does not say anything in favor of it.

Keep asking the tough question. May be you will some day get a satisfactory 
answer.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Yousuf" <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com>
To: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Cc: "jmi list" <jamia_millia_alumni_directory at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2010 11:23 AM
Subject: [Reader-list] A failed child-labour rescue and other dilemmas 
ofJamia Nagar


> Dear all
> Below is a very unfortunate news from Jamia Nagar, New Delhi. On 1st 
> November a team of activists from the NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan along 
> with police officials tried to rescue about 60 children working in the 
> sweatshops of zari industry in Batla House. They had almost secured these 
> children and were taking them away, but their operation failed because a 
> mob led by local leaders gathered around them and snatched all the 
> children back. They spread the rumour that the activists were “conspiring 
> against Muslims” and forcefully taking away “their” children. The police 
> obviously watched the whole drama without taking any action. They were 
> afraid that the event may take a turn of communal violence. 
> (http://www.bba.org.in/news/011110.php)
>
> This is a very sad state of affairs, not only for the presence of rampant 
> child labour in this area, the defiance of the local goons, and the 
> silence of the police. But it is more unfortunate because of the inaction 
> and silence of the entire intellectual class originating from Jamia. The 
> neighbourhood of Jamia Nagar is spread around a central university whose 
> many staff, teachers and students reside here. Jamia has well known 
> departments and centres for the study and training in Social Work, Peace 
> Studies, Minority Studies, media studies, Childhood development centre, 
> Gandhian studies and host of others (see 
> http://www.jmi.ac.in/centres.htm). But right under the lamp there seems 
> darkness.
>
> This is not the first time that the local people used the “Muslim” card to 
> thwart any outside attempt to improve their lot. Of course there has been 
> a lot of insecurity due to the recent incidents of “terrorist encounter” 
> and so on. And the people’s hostility and anger towards the police and 
> “non-Muslims” can be understood in the light of the generalisations made 
> by the media and the police about the people of this area. But this can 
> also have a different sort of advantage. Pretending the fear of local 
> backlash, the authorities have decided in the recent months to turn a 
> blind eye to the mass-scale illegal construction of apartment buildings in 
> the already narrow and cramped lanes, allowing the neighbourhood to become 
> utterly inhuman to live. This construction activity and the zari factories 
> are all part of the growing monster that this area has become. And the 
> religious identity is a good excuse to allow the monstrosity to grow 
> larger. Of
> course, one shouldn’t even mention that Delhi’s aspirations of becoming a 
> world class city during the recent CW games didn’t touch this area in any 
> way.
>
> I don’t know what can be done about it. But I am writing here hoping that 
> at least some discussion or debate could ensue in some place to make sense 
> of what is going on. But more than a closed-door discussion, this 
> neighbourhood needs a street-level debate on how not to use the religious 
> identity for petty issues, and how real are these “conspiracies against 
> Muslims”.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Yousuf Saeed
>
> ----
>
> Child Labour Rescue Operation failed due to inefficient attitude of 
> administration
>
> On 1st of November 2010, Bachpan Bachao Andolan alongwith the labour 
> department, Task Force and Delhi Police conducted a raid and rescue 
> operation in their effort to eradicate Child Labour in Jamia Nagar, New 
> Delhi. After rigorous effort by the activists of BBA more than 200 child 
> labourers in zari industry were identified. On this context BBA filed a 
> complaint to the District Task Force, D.C South on 19th October 2010. 
> After two planning meetings with all stakeholders of District Task Force, 
> the raid and rescue date was finalised on 1st November 2010. As such the 
> team gathered at Kalkaji Police Station at 9:30 a.m to move for identified 
> spot headed by SDM, Defence Colony, Mr. P.N. Jha and moved towards Batla 
> House and hence started the rescue operation.  Children in this area were 
> involved in the zari works in miserable condition. They were between 6 
> years to 13 years of age.
>
> The whole process of rescue was done peacefully and the teams were 
> successful in rescuing around sixty children and they were being taken to 
> the vehicle, but suddenly out of nowhere two person named Amanatulla and 
> Samiulla, who introduced themselves as some members of a political 
> organization, along with the owners of the industry came and interrupted 
> the process of rescue operation. These two person propagated a communal 
> flavour during conversation with our team members and motivated the people 
> by saying that these people are against Muslims.
>
> As a result of their interruption the local people started gathering and 
> asking questions. The Police Officials and the people from the labour 
> department remained standing as mere spectators and most of them 
> disappeared from the spot. The activists of Bachpan Bachao Andolan were 
> treated indecently by the owners and the two so called local leaders 
> namely Amanautulla and Samiulla. They went to that extent of obstructing 
> the whole process and started to threaten the children and forcefully 
> snatched the rescued children away.
>
> In spite of this, the Police and the Labour Department did not take any 
> action and at last we had to return back empty handed. Shri R.S Chaurasia, 
> Chairperson of BBA, said in this context “This happened because of the 
> inefficient attitude of the administration but our activists will continue 
> this movement against those who are responsible for creating this kind of 
> inhuman situation unless all rescued children are rescued in that area
> Now we are going to file complain to the appropriate authority to take 
> proper action against who interrupted the official work by sustaining the 
> rescue operation and forcibly taking away the freed children and thus 
> registering cases for kidnapping/ abduction for purpose of slavery 
> (Sec.367 IPC), obtaining possession of a minor for an illegal/immoral 
> purpose of child labour (Sec. 373 IPC), Criminal Assault, obstructing and 
> assaulting a public servant from doing his/her duty (Sec. 186, 189 IPC), 
> Criminal Intimidation and threat of grievous hurt or death (Sec. 506), 
> Criminal Conspiracy etc.
>
> http://www.bba.org.in/news/011110.php
>
> Also see: 
> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Mob-forces-rescued-kids-to-return/articleshow/6861743.cms
>
>
>
>
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