Kathmandu, January 29:

Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN), in cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Circle, Maharajgunj, today rescued 21 child workers from an embroidery factory here.

The factory was being operated by one Dinesh Mahara in a house at Golphutar-5, Kathmandu.

The children — aged between eight and 19 years — are Ram Ratan Ram, Ramesh Ram, Bimalesh Ram, Bishwombhar Ram, Lakhishwor Ram, Ram Babu Ram, Umesh Sahani, Magali Baitha, Ajay Ram, Nabin Baitha, Hansha Ram, Ganesh Ram, Pandiji Ram, Ban Sa Mahato, Dharmendra Ram, Manoj Ram, Santosh Baitha, Mukesh Ram, Shushil Ram, Bijay Ram and Sanjay Ram. Most of them hail from Mahottari and many of them don’t speak Nepali.

The children, who were putting up in rented rooms of the house owned by Ganesh Khadka, said “Umesh Uncle” brought them here to work. All of them were working on saris when CWIN members and the police raided the house.

“We start working at around 8 am and sleep at around two the next morning,” Ganesh Ram, said. He said he wasn’t being paid as he was just learning the work.

It was found that only 4-5 children were getting paid every month. “Sahu used to give me Rs 20 every Saturday. But, I never got any extra,” said eight-year-old Pandiji Ram.

Police couldn’t arrest Mahara as he was not in the factory during the raid. The house owner did not cooperate with the police, the CWIN officials and the media personnel. All he said was that he was unaware of what was going on inside the rooms he had let out.

The factory is in operation for the past three or four years, according to neighbours. They said they used to see the children only on Saturdays.

“We will take the children to the CWIN office today and try to contact their parents. We will decide on our next move only after that,” Raju Budhathoki, a CWIN official, said.