Merina Khatun of Murshidabad was almost burnt alive far away in Saudi Arabia, when she was only three. She was cooking for a Sheikh! But that is merely the tip of the iceberg.

In 1994 CCD, the parent of FTC - India, for the first time had bust a racket exporting three children to Mecca, through Calcutta Airport. Free the Children followed the issue further. The revelations were stunning.

Children, mostly crippled, belonging to poor Muslim families from districts of Murshidabad, Malda, Nadia, Birbhum and others in West Bengal are taken to Mecca to beg during the Holy Haj. For almost three months they beg for their employers from morning to midnight. The Haj ends but not their sufferings.The touts find it uneconomical to bring them back home. Left in a foreign land, they are either made to work as child labourers are thrown in prostitution.

FTC - India started a vigorous movement against these touts and made a list of the missing children in the state. The pressure created, got substantial wind. A total of 510 children, some severely injured, were brought back to India in March 1996. Of the total, 324 were from four districts of West Bengal.
Merina came back home, crippled.

In January 1998, 22 Bangladeshi children were rescued by the police from Hotel Geneva at Malda, a small town beside the Ganges in Northern part of West Bengal. The children, some even as young as two-year olds, were being exported to Saudi Arabiathrough Indian territory by a trafficking racket based in Bangladesh. The grand plan was to put them into begging during the Holy Haj. Indian police did a nice job by catching the entire gang red handed but forgot to send the babies back to their parents in Bangladesh fast! The children were then a subject of prolonged cross-border diplomatic dialogues, with one side denying existence of any child trafficking network and the other burning midnight's oil to gain an extra mileage. The children were kept under judicial custody at a juvenile home, from February 1998. While diplomats of both the countries were brandishing swords at each other, the children suffered.

FTC-India organised a strong movement to release these children and send them back to their motherland. First, we were stone-walled by the district, state and national authorities. Even the National Human Rights Commission of India turned its back on the issue. They upheld the argument of the administration in keeping the children under judicial custody. Ultimately FTC - India raised the issue before the United Nations Human Rights Commission. And, this time the wind was in our favour. At the insistence of UNHRC, the children were released in March 1999 and sent to Bangladesh. While praising FTC - India's efforts UNHRC criticised both the countries involved, for showing little sympathy to the children.

Smt Khatura Char of Purulia district handed over her granddaughter Pratima (9) to the local block development officer, who promised to provide her education, at his residence in Calcutta. In reality she was put as a domestic help to his in-laws. Her employer did not find her good at work. She was thrown out on the streets of the big bad city. Pratima is missing since then.

Pratima is not alone.FTC - India spotted 22 such cases and initiated a movement in 1997 for their recovery. After knocking on all the doors including the state Human Rights Commission, fruitlessly, a hunger strike was organised in Calcutta from May 19, 1998. The state administration first tried to disperse the peaceful demonstrators by force and then acceded to us. Promises were showered. But, none of the 22 is traced till date. In November 1999, the Parliament of India barred government servants from employing children as domestic help.

Child rights violation is a global concern. Across the world, 250 million children are exploited at work place. Of which India contributes 152.5 million.

So far hundreds of United Nations Conventions have taken place. Many recommendations have come up. Member countries have ratified them too. But, little progress was made in translating them into a reality. With the economic system getting intricate day by day, the ways and means of child rights violation are becoming even more complex.

To create a global awareness FTC associates and many other organisations, across the world, took part in a Global March against child labour in 1998.

Restoring the right to education is the primary concern of FTC - India. We work on two fronts - raising voice for making education a mandatory for all and providing education by using our own limited resources.Demonstrations were organised down from the block level. In December 1998, a state level rally was called in Calcutta. The State government initially denied the permission and was finally forced by the Calcutta High Court to grant it.Calcutta, famous or infamous for political rallies, for the first time witnessed a gathering of over 70,000 children and parents, only to ensure right to education.

Children are always the victim of social disorder. On December 12, 1998, a teacher of Soliatola primary school at a tribal village at Shadol, in Madhya Pradesh beat two little boys to death. We rushed to the spot for investigation. The accused, Ramsia Panika, a 22 year old handicap tribal got the job eight months back. Since then he had been working without salary. An abusive head mistress from an economically well off upper caste family made the situation even worse. The good teacher finally lost his mental balance.Once the news broke out, the villagers rushed the injured children to hospital. The doctors refused to start treatment without confirmation from police. The police officer-in-charge was enjoying the afternoon siesta. The FIR was delayed. The treatment was postponed by ten hours. The children died the next afternoon.The Madhya Pradesh state human rights commission ruled in our favour. Two police officers were suspended. The doctors were accused of delay in treatment. Their medical licences were cancelled.

In 2004, 12 boys of Destitute Children's Home, "Muktoneer" prepared a documentary film with their knowledge and experience. The film has been announced in the International Kids for Kids film festival at Athens to be the best film of the year. The director of the film Ashikul Islam, an 11 years old orphan boy of Muktoneer has been honored by the grand award of the festival.

FTC - I is working for child right conservation from beginning. Providing shelter, food and education to every child is the foremost target of FTC – I. Along with the fulfillment of fundamental needs of children, organizers of Muktoneer are working for the development of their esthetic sense and imagination power also. So this grand award of Ashikul Islam brings an honor for the efforts of FTC – I also.