People of Bantoli (Part 3)

Tell us about the condition of the children of Bantoli.

Children working in the fields, harvesting peanuts

The low income of families forces them to engage their children in work. At least 18,000 children are involved in mica mining in Jharkand. Mica cutting and splitting is categorized as a hazardous occupation for children under the Child Labour Act. These children go 20 ft. (7 meters) underground to dig and search for mica. Working in loose soil, they often die as a result of the ground collapsing. Snakebites are also a big hazard. Silicosis, asthma, and bronchitis are common among these children.

Some children are bonded, which means that they have been pledged by their parents for paltry sums of money or to pay the debts of their fathers. If the landlord of the village owns them, they will spend their life in servitude until they get married and can, in turn, sell their children.

Some children are used for sexual exploitation. Village loan-sharks often act as procurers for city brothels, lending money to the family which must be paid back through the children's work.

Children make a living collecting wood

At least 2,500 to 3,000 tribal girls from this area migrate to metropolitan cities in search of a better life. Trafficking in girls from such remote areas is a thriving business, and there is a lot of forced prostitution.

The schoolchildren are not able to afford shoes. Microscopic earthworms enter their bloodstream through their feet, making them anemic.