October 25, 2016
Responding to information provided by one of Justice Ventures International’s (JVI) partners in rural Bihar, JVI and its New Delhi-based partner, EFICOR, collaborated with local police and government officials to rescue eleven boys, some as young as 12 years old, from forced labor slavery in a bindi factory in India’s capitol. These boys were trafficked from northern India and were forced to work 12-14 hours per day. The children ate and lived in the same tiny rooms where they worked. One of the workshops, which was a dirty room merely 10 x 15 ft. in size, housed five of the young children. In return for hours of tedious work they were paid less than two dollars per month!
Police complaints have been filed against each of the perpetrators and the factories have been sealed. The victims are receiving counseling and immediate care in the safety of a transitional home. EFICOR and JVI will work together with government officials to ensure these children are repatriated to a safe family or guardian where they will receive rehabilitation assistance and are enrolled in full-time school.
