ANDHERI, JULY 2, 2008: On June 21, 2008 Balprafulta received a call from an NGO that works in Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts. The social worker from that NGO reported that many children and youth have been trafficked from Chandrapur and brought to Mumbai to work in a branded juice manufacturing company. This work is seasonal in nature and children were brought for a period of three to four months. Their parents knew that these children were brought to Mumbai but were unaware of the exploitative situation in which their children were working. Some of the children contacted their parents and told them about their working conditions. Hearing this, some parents came to Mumbai to take their children back home. The parents and Balprafulta social workers then visited the ‘Mother Dairy’ premises at the National Development Dairy Board. They witnessed the inhuman conditions in which the children were made to stay and work. They talked with the main supervisor who was absolutely against releasing the children and handing them back their money. With some amount of pressure put on him, the supervisor released some children and also gave them their salaries. Seeing
this, other children also expressed their wish to stop working in that place. In all, 110 children from different parts of Maharashtra put in their demand to leave the place. There are also some children from Bihar who are still working there. When the management came to know about what was taking place on their premises, they spoke to Balprafulta Social Workers and tried to talk them out by convincing them that the children were staying in good conditions. The social workers brought to their notice the real conditions in which children were staying by actually taking the management to those places the children were staying and working. On seeing the actual conditions, the management had no option but to release 110 children with their salaries. These children were very eager to go back to their homes, as they wanted to get back to their studies. On Sunday, June 29, 110 children were accompanied to the station by Balprafulta Social Workers and helped to board the Vidharbha Express and Sevagram Express bound to their homes. Balprafulta is now in the process of making the Labour Department the responsible party for filing an FIR against Mother Dairy. They have been receiving calls from children saying that they have reached home safely. Balprafulta is actively working towards making K-east ward in Mumbai, which includes Andheri, Parle and Jogeshwari, a Child Labour free ward and is networking with Government systems and voluntary organizations to make this a reality.