Sold For Rs 750, boy returns home

One of the child labourers rescued by MiD DAY is reunited with his family, while the other waits, wavering between hope and despair

Varun is reunited with his parents, while his companion Manu still waits in despair for his family

Varun (12) was reunited with his father yesterday. He was one of the four boys MiD DAY had 'bought' for Rs 3,000 near the city railway station.

While 11-year-old Arun's family still has to be traced, the Child Welfare Committee released Nanda and Dilip, saying they were 18.

Touching drama

Listen to dad: Varun Kumar' father Varadaraja Acharya chides him at Child Welfare Commitee office, Balamandir yesterdayu00a0

There was a twinkle in Varun's eye as his father, Varadaraj Acharya, arrived at Bala Mandir for the hearing of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) yesterday.

"It is a great relief for us," said Acharya, who works as a security guard in a private firm in Mysore. "We never wanted him to come to Bangalore. We were wondering where he had gone, but we never imagined he would end up in this situation."

He said he was taking Varun back to Mysore and would ensure that the incident was not repeated.

Still waiting

But Arun alias Manu Kumar was not so lucky. He was almost in tears when heard that his companion was leaving with his father.

No company: Manu was in tears when Varun was leaving.u00a0u00a0

When MiD DAY appeared at the spot, he was seen pleading with everyone. "Please send me to my parents. After Varun leaves, I will be lonely here."

Arun's parents don't have a contact number and could not be traced at the address he gave. According to him, his parents, construction workers, lived in Ramakrishna Nagar in Mysore.

The address was near Varun's house but Acharya did not recall seeing them in the area. "I will inquire once I go to Mysore. I'll ensure that Arun reaches his parents," he said.

Varun and Arun were working in a fast food joint in Mysore before they met Nanda, who worked in a nearby paratha centre along with Dilip. Nanda gave them the idea of coming to Bangalore, in search of greener pastures. The children, who were earning Rs 120 a day each, fell for the idea.

"I did not tell my parents about the plan because I knew they would discourage me," said Varun.

However, he tried calling his uncle Channakeshva, a clerk in Christ College, Bangalore, before leaving on the night of May 4, but his phone went unanswered.

"Yes, there was a missed call on my mobile, " said Channakeshava, who had accompanied his brother to receive Varun at Bala Mandir. "I thought it was some unwanted call, as it was from a landline." He was shocked to know the boy had landed in a traffickers' dragnet. "I confess I made a mistake, and I will never repeat it," he said.

What the NGOs had to say

P N Basavaraj, Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Member
On an average we rescue 15 to 20 children every day. We find most of them in railway stations and bus stands.u00a0 Last year we rescuedu00a0 4,000 children. Most of the children end up in hotels.
Girls become domestic helpers cleaning vessels, washing clothes etc.

Father Edward Executive Director of BOSCO
Every day many children land at railway stations and bus stands. Since 2008, till May 2009, there were 6,500 children who had landed, many of whom had run away from homes.
Most of the children land up in the child trafficking gang and most are taken into hotels. Some end up begging, in construction and some suffer sexual abuse.
Our people wait at bus stands and railway stations to rescue the kids, but sometimes, some land up in the hands of touts.

Anna Kutty, Director of Auxilium Navajeevana
We deal only with girl children. In a day on an average we come across one or two cases of runaway kids. Most of them are end up in the hotel industry, selling vegetables and begging. We try to trace their parents and hand them over.
We also educate them, and place them after their education.u00a0 We sometimes arrange their marriage too.

Neena Nayak, Vice President, Indian Council for Child Welfare
Touts pay poor families money and bring the children to the city for work. Most of them are brought from North Karnataka.
Some children join other construction workers, some of them become servants and some of them go to hotels to work. The hotel owners lock them up and do not even pay them. The kids work for three to four months and then run away in search of another job. These touts should be severly punished.