INDIA: once thought of as a country of more than a billion people living in poverty, has seen its economy boom, and has emerged as a new force in global manufacturing.
But that is not the full story. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), more than 150 million children and teenagers are victims of child labour around the world, and India has long been among the worst offenders.
More than 10 million children and teenagers between the ages of five and 14 are forced to work in the country, often through trafficking and bondage.
But over the last few years, things have been changing, in no small part thanks to the work of one man: Kailash Satyarthi.
He has fought against child trafficking for decades, freeing more than 87,000 children and teenagers and contributing to global conventions on children’s rights. He also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for his efforts, bringing the issue into the international spotlight.
More than a decade ago, Kailash Satyarthi as he led a march around the country to raise awareness for the cause.
Vast underground network of traffickers has made a living convincing poor mothers in EUROPE to sell their infants to richcouples. From the courts, to the slums, to the NGOs fighting to put an end to the practice, VICE EUROPE took a deep dive into how the trafficking ring functions and the toll it takes on both the mothers and their children.
