14 minors rescued in Delhi

Fourteen child labourers were rescued on Monday from a factory in east Delhi area where they were working as labourers, officials said on Wednesday.

"Aged between 12 and 15 years, they worked in a factory in Ganga Vihar locality where they made "steel netting (jali) under a tin roof in the sweltering heat", said a statement from the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) which rescued them.

BBA said the arms and hands of the children were "covered with cuts and scars acquired during cutting and welding of steel wires".

"Trafficked from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, they worked from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., that is 18 hours a day, earning a paltry Rs.50 to Rs.100 a week," the BBA said.

Rakesh Senger, project director, victim assistance and campaigns told IANS that the children were working at the factory for one to two years.

The children were rescued under the supervision of Daniel Masih, sub-divisional magistrate, Yamuna Vihar, and have been sent to BBA's Mukti Ashram near Burari area until further orders about their repatriation.