Mamta Devi W/o Sanjay Mochi (21),and his family belonging to SC (Chamar ) following the Hindu ethnicity, live in Bisun Ganj village Police station: Bisun ganj,Tehsil: Silwani District : Jahanabad 

On 13.09.06 Mamta Devi was returning back to home after natural call. While passing through the house of Pashu Ram, She felt some kind of water fell down on her face. When she looked above, she saw Kudan Sharma, Upendra Sharma All residence of Bisun ganj, Jahanabad were closing their Pants Zip. When she objected to it, the perpetrators reopened their pant sheave and said we will urinate on you. They came down and caught the victim from the hair and said “Sali harizan Chamarni tumhari itni aukat ki ham Bhumiharon ko gali deti ho “and they also started beating her and snatched her Sari.  Being frightened she started rushing towards her home and informed her husband. Then again the perpetrators came to her home and began to beat the husband and wife. They also snatched her blouse and wounded her on the shoulders and arms with the nails.

Her husband reported the matter to the S.P but no action was taken by the police. In the evening the victim lodged the complaint in the police station. Next day the DSP visited the victims house and said “Tum harijan ho harijan ki trah hi raho  tum madarchod sala zuban chalata hai neta banana chahata hai “ . On day of quarrel Sharma kicked on mamta Devi’s stomach, since then she is suffering from pain as she was 2 months pregnant at that time. The perpetrators also slapped her son on his ear, since then the child is unable to hear properly.

Police officials are not cooperative with victims. Rather they are discouraging the victims   to withdraw the case. No police official came for the help till 6 P.M. After 6 P.M family members visited police station and lodged the FIR. Even the DSP used unconstitutional language while investigating the matter. No compensation and protection is given by the administration. Victims are still receiving threats from the perpetrators.  FIR No. 206/06 has been registered u/s 341/448/354/323/379/34 IPC and u/s 3(1)(x) of SC/ST (POA)ACT 1989   

The relationship between the upper castes and the victims of the village has not been cordial for the past 40 odd years, and the upper castes have been subjecting the dalits to many troubles. On application by the dalits to the Electricity Board, they were supplied electricity and electricity motors were issued to each and every house. Since there is no permanent power line to the dalit colony, with the permission of the AE, Penagaluru (government official), the victims have been drawing electric power from a pole near the house of Katta Narayan Naidu, who is an upper caste person. The dalits have paid their electricity bills regularly.

Without legitimate reason, Katta cut off the electricity supply of the dalits. His actions can be attributed to the hostile attitude towards dalits that is present in the village and also his disgust at their economic empowerment. This is evidenced from Katta’s demands to know “who gave them [dalits] the right to access electricity.” Narayana questioned Katta as to why the power was cut off and no response was given. Instead Katta along with the other accused individuals attacked Naryana and others living in the dalit area in the middle of the night. The accused employed deadly weapons and attempted to kill the victims; they also verbally abused the dalits by employing words such as “malanaa kokdukullaraa”. Furthermore, they threatened to burn the victims if they dared step foot onto the patta lands of the accused. Natta has since continuously abused and attacked Narayana and other members of the Dalit community. Case is pending before the Committal Court at Kadapa.

Case in Brief:

Introduction

Recently it turned out that organized crime has been organizing auctions with children for “domestic work purposes” since decades in a small village 40 km east of Vijayawada – Krishna District- Andhra Pradesh – India. 

Fact Finding Team:

1. I. Surya Narayana, Founder, Adivasi Mahila Union.
2. B.Manjula, District Coordinator, Dalit Sthree Shakti.
3. Jhansi Geddam, Convener, Dalit Sthree Shakti. 

New cases of child trafficking in Mantada village / Andhra Pradesh: There is a population of 5,228 in Mantada.  They are all migrants from Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam.  There are 10 DWACRA groups, 5 Anganwadi Centres, 3 Elementary Schools here.  Only 30-40 children are studying.  Women are engaged in agricultural works.  Men work in factories or drive autos.  Here all men are addicted to alcohol. 

Since some years, the business of trafficking children for domestic work is going on in this village.  Girl children aged 13 years or above are taken to other districts.  Some brokers are engaged in taking these children for work.  They take a commission of Rs.1,000/- to Rs.2,000/- from the owners.  The girls are given Rs.10,000/- to Rs.15,000/- per year.  Some houses are supplied with 2-3 children.  This is extended to Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Bangalore and America.  Every year June is the season for this business.  Brokers and owners come and take the children then. 

Meanwhile, media collected information from a girl called Veera Bhavani who ran away from the owner’s house and took this to the collector.  The district collector responded immediately and the entire story came out.  14 brokers were taken into custody and brought all the children back who trafficked from them.  

18 brokers engaged in employing at least 53 children on contract to different areas from the Mantada were produced before a special court on August 7^th 2006. Three of the brokers remained in police custody for further inquiry, later released on bail. The other traffickers are supposed to bring back the children that had been sold for a commission of 10.000 R$ each in the district. Also, the child traders are being forced by law to monthly attend special meetings with the officials and to attend different stations in the district for several times a week. During the hearing it turned out that the 47 children saved from conditions of forced labour had been influenced to speak on behalf of their brokers and employers.

The mission was completed with a contented of tracing 15 children employed in the house hold work as domestic servants  “Children under bonded labour” freed to experience the joy of liberation. (among these 15 children 10 children were handed over to parents, 5 children were almost 18 years and willing to continue the work with the master)  13 houses were abouts seems false, in spite of knocking every nook and corner of the city and 6 children couldn’t be found at the addresses provided. The search team has encountered with 2 cases on their way. 6 cases reported to Hyderabad city child line to trace out and 6 cases were in and out side the Krishna Dist could be identified.  To rescue and to restore the lives of 44 children caught in the bunkers of exploitation in domestic work, the child line with the helping hand of the police raided the houses where children of trafficked were staying. Out of 44 children, 32 children were place in Vijayawada and 6 cases in Hyderabad and 6 in and around Krishna Dist.

\\\"For 30 years, this has been our livelihood. Not just for getting money, even just for survival, for just eating, we did it for several years because our wage earnings are very low,\\\" said Konda, a broker

\\\"I am angry because this is our livelihood. From when my mother was a child, this has been going on. I also went and worked as contract domestic labour.”

\\\"My children are small but once they grow up, I will send them to work as domestic labour. I don\\\'t have any other option. We can eat only if all of us work with our two hands\\\".

\\\"For so many years, where was the government? You did nothing for us, now you promise education, jobs. Where will they come from, all of a sudden?,\\\" added the villager.

\\\"My father does not go to work. My brother gets work sometimes. It is not enough for us. If you stop us from working, how should we survive,\\\" said Durga, a rescued child. The District Women & Child Welfare, Vijayawada reported that though the department has taken measures at their level to prevent sending the children as domestic child labour in towns from Mantada village, the problem were unsolvable due to the following reasons:

  Drinking habit

  Poor income

  Illiteracy

  Children as the main source of income

Further problem fields certainly include:

   Drought (alternative income sources needed children sold)      

     and bad seeds

  Tradition (“I also was a trafficked child.”)

  Lack of government aid in times of need

  Impunity for brokers and employers (for abuses and forced labour)

  Pull factors like possible work in industrial areas (fathers move away to work)                          vulnerable families without fathers

  Special local factors (e.g. the sugar factory (KCP) at Uyuru as a pull factor)

Case studies are necessary of course for development cooperation on the grass root level with the local people so a sustainable, successful progress in rural people’s life quality can be achieved and future trafficking prevented.

6. Further backgrounds on the Mantada cases

Most of the families and children employed recently through Mantada are migrants of Vijayanagaram of Tagarapuvalsa. They are all members of a caste called Reddika and belong to BC.

“The acute drought throughout the state for the last 4 to 5 years shuffled and muffled the lives of the poor. The poor in search for survival, dared to leave the roots of bonds established in villages in the name of migration. Mostly the people’s migration took place after the New Year celebration “Sankaranthi”  the capable leave the village with a promise that they return with plenty, leaving the old and young at homes to guard the “HOME” that  belong to them

The media and news prints have noted in the past that those who left at home, the old died due to lack of care and support and the young girls were sexually abused   by lust seekers and trafficked for bonded labour in Domestic work.”

Certainly agricultural problems through drought and another factor lined out in the following are important reasons for families in rural areas to sell their children as a lack of income.

Jhamo Manjhi s/o Bhuna Manjhi belonging to Musahar community, in Kemra village, Ariyari police station and taluk, Shekhpura district, Bihar state, was a bold and socially conscious person. He was a daily wage labourer. His wife Kismatiya Devi too helped him in the work for justice.

On September 5, 2003 Paro Devi w/o Jethan Manjhi had gone for the collection of the firewood. While her husband was on a mango tree the culprit Sanjay Singh sprang upon her suddenly and tried to rape her but he could not. The FIR no. 128/03 was filed against Sanjay Singh. From then on Sanjay Singh started threatening them and pressuring them to withdraw their FIR. At this, Jhamo Manjhi told the victim not to take any complaints back lodged by them. Threatened by that, Sanjay Singh s/o Rajniti Singh, Ritesh Singh s/o Rajniti Singh and Rajniti Singh s/o late Chandrika Singh, plotted to murder Jhamo Manjhi. And as per the plan on September 8, 2003, they murdered Jhamo Manjhi.

The FIR no.131/06 under sections 341,323,324,307,302 and SC/ST POA 1989- ¾ was lodged on 9/9/2006 and the body was taken to Sadar hospital in Munger. So far only one perpetrator has been arrested and the two of the perpetrators have run away from the village. No compensation has been paid. The case is under trial.