Circus industry

Circus is amongst the primary and the most ancient forms of entertainment in the world including India. But behind the façade of entertainment there lurks a different story. There is substantial number of children as the workforce in the circus industry. Most of them have never been to school and have had no exposure to what is happening in the outside world of their tiny circus tents. They are made to perform dangerous acts like cycle acrobats, swinging on the trapeze nets and many more and their daily routine of grinding work and practice leaves them no scope for recreation or play. A large number of these children have been trafficked from Nepal, the neighbouring country of India. Traffickers, both Indian and Nepalese, who are in constant touch with the circus management, have a thriving business of procuring girls from in and around certain specific regions by convincing the parents and the families to send their young daughters to circus industry by making false promises and distorted claims of fortune, and especially by bribing them. These children are brought under a contract for 3-10 years and once signed they became bound. Their meagre salaries are collected by parents and thus they remain trapped forever and are unable to leave the circus even if they want to.

9 Children rescued from the circus industry-Great Bombay and Jumbo Circus

Nine children-two girls and seven boys were released from the two circus companies. Of them, six were from Jumbo and three were from the Greater Bombay Circus. Amit de, Vijay, Vicky and Vinay Kumar are from Nepal while Bittu is from Bihar, Meenu belongs to Assam and Abhishek is from Gwalior. All come from different parts of India though a majority has been trafficked from Nepal. They have been working in circus industry for the past one or two years.

List of children freed

No. Name Native Place 1 Amit De Nepal 2. Vijay Nepal 3. Vicky Nepal 4. Vinay Kumar Nepal 5. Aman Thamang Nepal 6. Maya Tamang Nepal 7. Bittu Bihar 8. Meenu Assam 9. Abhishek Gwalior

Great Bombay Circus

Aman Thamang

11-year-old Aman Thamang comes from Birat Nagar, Nepal. His elder brother Manish, 14 years old has been working in the same circus for five years. His father, Man Bahadur Thamang, who spends all the money on drinking, forced Aman into this vocation. His family is very poor and mother works as a maidservant to make ends meet. But now Aman has no idea on the whereabouts of his mother.

In the circus, Aman was made to perform acts like cycling and dangerous acrobatics on springnets. But he never received any salary as his father collected the money on his behalf. He hardly got any holidays and visited his hometown only once in the past three years.

Vijay

Vijay is only 11-years-old and has been working in the Great Bombay circus since four years. He was lured into this vocation through scheming middlemen from Morang district, Nepal. Although Vijay never went to a proper school, still he can write his own name. In the circus he had to perform various acts like spring net, acrobatics and many more.

Although his parents visited him twice in 4 years, he always liked visiting his native place as he had hardly been to his home since the time he joined the circus. Now that he is free, he is very happy because he will be able to study.

Vicky

12-year-old Vicky comes from Morang District, Nepal and belongs to a large family of four brothers and two sisters. His father is a watchman and mother's a housewife. He has been working in the Great Bombay Circus since one year and both his sisters are also working there. Although Vicky wanted to study, his family didn't want him to return home due to financial problems.

Vicky used to perform gymnastics. He loves playing, reading, watching movies, listening to music and loves cricket.

Jumbo Circus

Maya Tamang

11-year-old Maya Tamang was brought into the circus by her father. She had to perform various gymnastics and acrobatics. She had been working in the circus for four years. The parents used to collect the money earned by her.

She is happy to be free and dreams of going to school and studying like other children.

Amit

Amit comes from Narayani Anchal, Dist.Makawanpur, Nepal. He is only 12 years old and his parents are divorced.He has six brothers and sisters of whom four are engaged as artists in the same Great Bombay Circus and two of his sisters are already married. He has completed only 1 st standard.

He used to perform gymnastics and get a meagre salary of Rs 1500 per month. Amit loves car racing, cricket and reading comics. He wants to become a pilot. And he is happy that he is going to study and doesn't want to return to the circus.

Bonded Labourers languishing in stone quarries

At least 50,000 adults and ten million children are victims of bonded labour system in India, a practice which is flourishing due to connivance between greedy employers and middlemen. These men, women and children are forced to stay in subhuman conditions for generations after generations. For them sustenance is nothing but constant torture, half-fed stomach and physical and verbal abuses of their tyrannical employers. Despite the existing laws against bonded labour system since 1976 and another law against child labour since 1986, this modern form of slavery perpetrates and blatantly violates the provisions, conventions and laws of the land. The callous nexus between the government and the local mafia is largely responsible for such kinds of slavery and exploitation.

55 Bonded Labourers liberated from a Stone Quarry

When Janta, Kanhaiya, Santa, Munna and Daiyia started their usual day on Thursday, 28 th January, 2004, by breaking stones in a quarry nestled in a remote desert in Haryana, little did they dream that they would be free from this vicious life. They have never had a glimpse of the outside world. They do not know what a rupee is. They can't believe their eyes on seeing pictures and sound coming from T.V. The taste of biscuits, tea and sweets are unknown to them. Most of them had been born here (to their bonded parents). It was as if destiny had nothing else in store for them. Not till, the BBA intervened. Among the 55 released labourers, 25 were adults while 30 were children and infants.

List of freed bonded labourers

No. Name Age Native place 1 Magna Ram 40 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 2. Sukhi Devi 35 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 3. Jeena Ram 18 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 4. Maga Ram 45 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 5. Delki 40 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 6. Santa Ram 17 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 7. Kamla Kumar 14 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 8. Janta Kumari 11 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 9. Ran Soda 5 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 10. Samra 22 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 11. Ampu Devu 19 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 12. Bhamra 25 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 13. Badagi Devi 20 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 14. Aata Ram 7 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 15. Murkas 6 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 16. Jora ram 25 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 17. Sushila Devi 20 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 18. Vindu 1 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 19. Kuwiya Ram 35 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 20. Jeela Devi 30 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 21. Mandar 10 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 22. Santu Bai 4 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 23. Baaga Ram 45 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 24. Ansi Bai 40 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 25. Panku Kumari 7 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 26. Narayan Kumar 5 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 27 Meeni Kumari 3 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 28. Deepa Ram 20 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 29. Ateki Devi 17 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 30. Suresh Kumar 5 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 31. Kishan Kumar 3 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 32. Babu 30 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 33. Santoshi Devi 23 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 34. Daya 7 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 35. Posa 4 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 36. Deesa 3 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 37. Sooja Ram 30 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 38. Sua Devi 22 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 39. Sangeeta Kumari 7 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 40. Looga 5 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 41. Dakri Kumari 2 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 42. Mamta 30 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 43. Leela Devi 25 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 44. Raja Ram 7 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 45. Suresh 4 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 46. Mala Ram 50 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 47. Suki 40 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 48. Mana Ram 12 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 50. Daiya Kumari 9 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 51. Pota Kumari 7 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 52. Peesa 3 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 53. Baaga Ram 25 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 54. Darmi 20 Jodhpur, Rajasthan 55. Pooja Kumari 1 Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Malaram and his family – working for three generations

50-year-old Malaram and his wife Sukhdevi are the oldest among the lot of the rescued 55 stone quarry workers. They were born in the quarries as bonded labourers and got married there. They have never touched a pen or paper in their lives. They do not even know the meaning of school or reading or writing. Even their parents could not imagine of books beyond signing on blank papers of the diaries of the contractors. Malaram has lost two of his young children (a son and a daughter) who died in the quarries due to lack of medication. They however know what a hospital is, courtsey a 40-year-old asthma patient who worked along with them. None of them had been paid any wages or salary. Some wheat flour, with salt and onion as food, used clothes and utensils were the only remuneration they have ever been given.

Their 25 year-old son Bagaram got married to Dalki Devi, who was also born and brought up like him in a quarry. Their third generation,one-year-old Puja, however has been luckier due to the rescue operation conducted by BBA.

Children working in roadside 'dhabas'

It's a common sight to see grubby-faced children working alongside roadside ‘dhabas' (kiosks). They are hardly 10-13 years old but their faces bear an expression of constant exhaustion and agony. Their names too get lost in the daily routine of grinding work and are called as ‘chotu' (little man) by the customers. They work morning till night, serving customers, cleaning and washing utensils and listening to the constant abuses of their masters. These children are often lured away from different villages on false promises of good wages and decent life and become victims of abuse and exploitation.

12 Children rescued from roadside kiosks

12 children and teenagers were rescued from roadside dhabas in Transport Nagar in Jaipur, popularly known as the ‘Pink City' by BBA with the help of district administration. The cases came to light, following complaints from Madhubani district of Bihar. Parents had approached the BBA office with the complaint that their children had been lured away by the middlemen with false promises of a better livelihood. While none of these promises were met, they didn't even get to see their children after that.

List of rescued children

No. Name Age Native Place 1. Sanjay Saday 12 Madhubani district, Bihar 2. Shravan Kumar 12 Madhubani district, Bihar 3. Ranjit 13 Madhubani district, Bihar 4. Santosh 11 Madhubani district, Bihar 5. Bhagbat Mehta 10 Madhubani district, Bihar 6. Ranjit Mehta 9 Madhubani district, Bihar 7. Raj Lal Mehta 10 Madhubani district, Bihar 8. Suresh Saday 13 Peepra district, Bihar 9. Yaam Sundar Saday 13 Peepra district, Bihar 10. Nunu saday 13 Peepra district, Bihar 11. Dinesh Saday 13 Peepra district, Bihar 12. Manoj Kumar 12 Madhubani district, Bihar

Santosh, Sanjay, Dinesh and nine more children were trafficked from Bihar to Jaipur by scheming middlemen. These children were made to work for over 16 hours a day in unhygienic conditions and were beaten up when asked for their wages.

Sanjay, 13 said he was not paid any remuneration for the last year despite working hard for long hours. For12-year-old Santosh exploitation started from his school where his schoolteacher compelled him to leave school for his vested interests. Now after being released, thanks to the efforts of BBA, Santosh wants to resume schooling, even though he has had bad experience with his schoolteacher. Santosh dreams of becoming a doctor in future.