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| 359 Workers Rescued from Illegal Brick Kilns in Shanxi |
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The nightmare is over. The nine dark-skinned workers sitting on their beds at a nursing house in Ruicheng County in north The drudgery, the fear, the whips and the fierce dogs are gone. But the brick kilns from which they were rescued will remain in their memories for a long time. They are waiting to be taken home, although many cannot say clearly where their homes are. They are among the 65 mentally retarded rescued in A total of 359 people, including 12 children, have been rescued from illegal brick kilns in the province, the joint investigation group announced on Friday afternoon. Police are checking the ages of nine people to see whether they should be classified as child laborers, said Sun Baoshu, vice minister of labor and social security and concurrently head of the investigation group -- representing the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Ministry of Public Security and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions -- that is probing the forced labor scandal. Employment of children below 16 is forbidden in One mentally retarded worker, Liu Bao from northwest Six suspects, including kiln boss Wang Bingbing and foreman Heng Tinghan, have been arrested, while three others are on the run. In total, 35 people have been detained and 20 others are being sought. Meanwhile, Sun vowed to spare no effort to rescue and help victims of the forced labor scandal. "Salaries will be paid and the injured treated," he said, adding that aid will be given to those whose home addresses are not yet known. In the inspection, police also found that 2,036 of the 3,347 brick kilns were operating without all the legal licenses. Police have closed 315 of them and put another 358 under investigation, ordering the brick kilns to pay the 1,024 workers involved. Behind the scandal lie indifference and dereliction of duty, Sun noted, pointing out that some cadres even made profits from their participation in the operations of illegal brick kilns. Two labor watchdog officers in Hou Junyuan, head of the labor inspection team of "I feel guilty and heart-stricken over the scandal," he said. "It has infringed the rights of migrant workers and children, hurt them both physically and mentally, and had a shocking effect both in and out of Yu praised the active role of the mass media, which drew the attention of society as a whole. The use of slave workers hit the headlines after a "call-for-help" letter was posted on the Internet earlier this month by more than 400 parents in "People's reaction to the event reflects better legal awareness and a greater respect for human rights," Yu said. Lawbreakers that illegally employ children, force people to work or maliciously injure workers will be severely punished, according to a State Council conference chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday. (Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2007) |
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