Maiti Nepal was able to arrange the rescue of these girls from the Surendra Carpet industry in Mulpani area, following information about their exploitation through two girls whom it had rescued in Nepalgunj on June 1, while being taken to India."After bringing these two girls to our shelter we discovered that many young children were being exploited at the Surendra Carpet. We worked with the police and rescued them," informed Bishwo Ram Khadka, director of Maiti Nepal.
Investigation reports says that the two victims, Sun Maya Tamang, 20, and Putali Tamang, 15, were working at the same factory before being taken to Nepalgunj by Kumar Tamang. Kumar had assured Sun Maya of marriage after two years and she along with Putali had walked out with him without the slightest doubt that they were being taken to India via Nepalgunj.
"I wasn't aware that Kumar was trying to take two of us to India and sell us there," Sun Maya, originally from Bara said adding, "Now I want to go back to my village and stay with my family."
Condition of other rescued victims is even gruesome. One of these is Goma Tamang, a 12-year old girl who went through extreme hardship at two carpet factories. Her palms are tiny but they look extremely stiff. Her knobby knuckles hint that her life is not normal. Her skin is as soft as rose petal but her palm's skin contradicts it. They bear the marks of the hardship that she had to undergo at these carpet factories. However, unaware of what was awaiting her at the carpet factory, she is happy to share how fast a learner she is, "I am adept in weaving carpet and can do it with multiple designs."
Originally from Rautahat she was sent to a carpet factory by her father after he could not manage family expenditures, rest aside her education. She does not even know how much the factory pays for her hard labor that sometimes goes beyond 18 hours a day. She was being given just Rs. 100 a week for refreshment.
But she has even worst memories of her previous employer where she had to even face physical torture. "I worked in another factory for seven months so I shifted to another carpet factory in Jorpati with the help of an agent," she said.
Either due to poverty or lack of awareness, many families send their children to work in carpet factories, restaurants, domestic helpers and other sectors. They don't even know how much money the recruiting agents take from the employer of their offspring. These conditions exist despite restriction on making children under 14-years of age Nepal's child labor law. The law even restricts making children work against their will.
Sarita (name changed), 14, Goma's co-worker at the carpet factory had to suffer through even greater torture for over a year. "I was forced to work from 4 am to 10 pm and if I ever felt sleepy, the contractor would put green chilly in my eyes," she shared while being unable to control the tears from complimenting the account of her horrific experiences at the carpet factory.
"I will go back to my village and won't come back to Kathmandu to weave carpet. I will collect fodder for livestock at home," Sarita said informing that she had left for Kathmandu without the consent of her family and had got into carpet weaving with the help of an agent. After such hard work at the factory for over a year, the contractor had given her family Rs. 20,000.
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