NGO ‘Bachpan Bachao Andolan’ (BBA) caught on fake campaign again

Posted on | juli 11, 2011 | No Comments

Kailash Satyarthi of ‘Bachpan Bachao Andolan’ (BBA), also known as Global March¹, has been caught on a fake campaign again. NL-Aid has reported about fraud at BBA before (see ‘previous studies’ at the bottom). This time I have three serious allegations:

a fake relation with the ILO,
a family cartel running the show and
duplicity of funds.

First, the relation with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is a deception. In the 90s, I have worked with BBA/Global March for about a year. During this time Satyarthi talked every day about his relation with the ILO. His Global March Against Child Labour (GMACL) was arranged together with the ILO. At present time, websites, press releases and annual reports are peppered with ILO quotes, names, events, campaigns. For instance :

Annual Report 2006/2007

page 16 bottom : “10 October 2006, government officials from the Ministry of Labour and Employment, ILO, UNICEF, members of Trade Unions joined hands with BBA to flag off the Mukti Ashram (Liberation Caravan)”
Page 22: “In partnership with Global March Against Child Labour, ….ILO…and hundreds of civil society partners organised a 5,000 km long physical march…”

South Asian March Against Child Trafficking 2007

Page 7: “On 19 February 2007, at the media launch, Simon Steyne, International Trade Union Confederation representative in ILO and Global March, said…”
Page 30: “BBA played a major role in this amendment and also International Convention ILO 182 through Global March Against Child Labour in which they covered 80,000 km.

I have contacted the ILO with my whistleblower report about BBA, but they claimed that there is no relation whatsoever with Kailash Satyarthi and his NGOs.

The documents, annual reports, press releases and sites are peppered with ILO in such a way, that it gives an overal idea of major collaboration between BBA and ILO. For years, trickery and deceit is a way to gain the millions in development aid for the family’s own benefit. My main criticism of the previous studies is that they mislead the international press and donors with the total number of freed children. They claim to have freed about 80,000 children, but I’ve only witnessed fake child labour, fake rescues, fake press releasses and fake statistics about freed children. In India, the Satyarthi cartel are multi-millionaires with child labour funding.

Second, all positions within BBA/Global March are held by Satyarthi’s family, making BBA a family cartel:

Kailash Satyarthi-Founder , BBA
Sumedha Kailash-Wife of Kailash Satyarthi – Director of BBA’s rehabilitation centre, Bal Ashram
Bhuwan Ribhu-Son of Kailash Satyarthi – National Secretary, BBA
Priyanka- Daughter in law of Kailash Satyarthi, Bhuwan’s wife- Policy Head of BBA’s international wing Global March
Yogesh Sharma- Brother of Kailash Satyarthi’s wife, Sumedha (real uncle’s son) – Finance Head of BBA and GM
On paper its R.S. Chaurasia, who is the Chairperson, but everyone knows that Kailash Satyarthi, Bhuwan and Yogesh run the whole show. I know Chaurasia an unconversable with no opinion, human insight or superior qualities. He prefers to be very withdrawn.

Third, there is duplicity of funds in Bal Ashram, Viratnagar, Jaipur. The rehabilitation centre in Viratnagar, Jaipur, Bal Ashram receive funds from multiple donors in the name of rehabilitation of the same 70 freed child labourers. Volunteers were given receipts on simple paper for their contributions. These contributions are in dollars and pounds. This centre is functional for about 13 years but not a single child from this centre is able to become anything other than an activist. The centre is a resort for Satyarthi and his family.

PREVIOUS STUDIES:

Footnote
1. In the past BBA was called SACCS, South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude and their major campaign the Global March Against Child Labour (GMACL) was launched in November 1997. Afterwards, the GMACL was institutionalised as ‘Global March’.

AUTHOR: Hans Sluijter
URL: www.NL-Aid.org
E-MAIL: info [at] www.NL-Aid.org