Child domestic work is still shockingly common in India, with 50,000 children known to be in domestic work in Kolkata alone, and many more across the country.

We have been supporting work with child domestic workers in Kolkata and West Bengal since 2007. The project works with children, most of them girls, who have been trafficked to become domestic workers in some of the major cities in India. Taken away from their families, most of them suffer physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

The programme is helping to change that by ensuring these girls are safe, protected and given a chance of a brighter future through education or skills training. It works by:

• Reuniting trafficked girls with their families wherever possible.
• Running drop-in centres where children can make friends, get a basic education and learn new skills such as beauty therapy or tailoring.
• Identifying traffickers, teaching them about children's rights and working with them to find other sources of income.
• Forming Child Protection Groups with children and employers, to help raise awareness of children's rights.

This is what RB's support has achieved so far:

Education



Training



Child protection



Vocational training

 

Making a difference in India

Click on the film below to see how we're helping children in India.

Cyclone Aila

In 2009, Cyclone Aila devastated the area in West Bengal where part of the domestic workers' programme operates and where RB funded the building of four vocational centres. Carl Pickering was one of a group of employees who visited the programme recently and attended the opening of the centres. This is what he saw:

'Nothing compares to visiting the projects and seeing what a difference the programme makes to the lives of children rescued from domestic labour. Getting girls back to their families is only the first step. The programme aims to break the cycle of poverty with long-term, sustainable solutions supported locally. By educating communities and child traffickers and establishing local partners to continue with the work, Save the Children can then move on to other areas and extend the programme.

My trip to Kolkata was inspiring and the centres are making real progress. It was heartwarming to hear the stories of girls rescued from domestic work, where they suffered regular mental, physical and sexual abuse. Now they have a chance of the education that can take them out of poverty and suffering. We also visited a drop-in centre in Kolkata city, where girls who are still in domestic work or the local community can get vocational training and learning. The centre was in a slum area where life is tough and survival is a day to day challenge. Who knows what the outcome is for girls who do not have this facility in their local area.'

Carl Pickering
Global Sales Development Director, RB

Photographs of Vocational Centres just opened!

Brick Kiln children

Click here to find out about RB Pharmaceutical's initiative to improve the lives of brick kiln factory children in India.

Help create a million brighter futures

What it really means

Brick Kiln children

Click here to find out about RB Pharmaceutical's initiative to improve the lives of brick kiln factory children in India.

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'RB is a truly active partner in changing children's lives in India with Save the Children. RB employees have shown strong ownership and involvement for each and every child in the domestic workers project. We cherish this relationship and thank RB for supporting these children who have learnt to direct their lives in a positive and fulfilling way.'

Manabendra Nath Ray
Programme Manager, Save the Children

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Find out more

See what we're doing on our other projects in Angola, Tanzania and Brazil, and for the Children's Emergency Fund