Dhonu, Faneel and Bhajan grew up not too far from each other – Dhonu and Faneel in Nepal and Bhajan just across the border in northern India. As children of lower caste families, they faced extreme poverty due to discrimination. Yet they also have fond memories of learning English, math and science in elementary school and being free to play and explore as children.

Their childhoods abruptly ended when their parents, in need of additional income, sent them to Delhi to find jobs when they became teenagers. Forced to work as laborers in a bag manufacturing facility in India’s capital, Dhonu, Faneel and Bhajan worked day and night, seven days a week, in cramped, poorly ventilated, and dimly lit shop floors. 

Forced to work as laborers in a bag manufacturing facility in India’s capital, Dhonu, Faneel and Bhajan worked day and night, seven days a week, in cramped, poorly ventilated, and dimly lit shop floors. 

Thankfully, everything changed for them on January 7^th, when JVI’s partners joined with law enforcement to rescue these boys after four months of investigating the factory in response to a referral from a local NGO. They are now safe and enjoying the freedom that should never have been taken away from them. 

The road to restoration will not be easy for Dhonu, Faneel and Bhajan but each of them have already made remarkable progress in their first month of freedom in a children’s aftercare home. They have been enjoying school and the opportunity to play their favourite sports. In the meantime, JVI’s Justice Hub partners are working on their reintegration into their home communities and supporting local authorities in pursuing justice against the employers, who have been charged with forced labor and trafficking crimes. 

Dhonu, Faneel and Bhajan’s stories are part of the story of transformation that is unfolding in a Delhi community known far too long for its impunity to criminals. The traffickers and criminal employers who had been exploiting children are now being arrested and put out of business as local law enforcement and non-profit organizations collaborate on rescue operations. Most recently, JVI’s partner trained 27 police officers on laws and best practices for securing the freedom, care, and protection of children – an important step in building the capacity of the justice system to fight back against child trafficking at the local level.