Title - Four children rescued at Vizag railway station

As soon as I open my eyes in the morning, I have to rush to the spinning mill and start my work. Everyday, our shift is from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. then 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. again from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., said 10-year-old Tracy (all names changed) with tears in her eyes.Resting for hardly two hours in a day and eating leftover food provided by employers was the life shared by three others from the region. These four, Tracy, Babitha, Padma and Lakshmi, aged between 10 and 12 years, were rescued by the GRP from the city railway station on Sunday when they were being taken back to Surya Lakshmi Cotton Mills at Amangal, Mahabubnagar district, and handed over to the Childline.The agent, Office Rao from Ruguda village near Odisha, taking advantage of the poverty, lured the parents and guardians of Tracy and Babitha with well paying jobs in mills and took them there two years ago. After a two-month stint there these kids fell sick and returned home. Office Rao was caught at the station while he was taking Tracy and Babitha along with two new girls, Padma and Lakshmi, to Mahabubnagar.Working for more than 20 hours a day, these kids never saw money. “Our employers GM, Yaswanth and Ramana never allowed us to sleep or relax. They used to beat us up when we were unwell. If any visitor came, they would hide us in either boys’ hostel or inside big drums kept in the warehouse or take us to nearby hills. We were told that our income would be credited to our parents’ account. There are nearly 5,000 people working in the mill and some used to misbehave with us,” Babitha told The Hindu.

She said they were threatened by Office Rao against talking to others about their condition. Struggling in penury the children agreed to return to the sweatshop. On Sunday, they along with another four teenaged girls and Office Rao went to the railway station. Tracy’s crying drew the attention of the police, but Rao managed to escape by denying what children said.