Sireesha from Mehboobnagar district is 14 years old. She has three siblings. Her father works as a watchman in Hasmathpet, earns 2, 200 Rs per month and sells vegetables during break hours. He gets around 100 Rs per month and on some days 200 and sometimes nothing at all. Last year Sireesha’s father hurt his leg and was confined to the bed. His family had taken a loan of Rs 30,000 from his ex employer for his treatment. Since he couldn’t recover he started sending his daughter for work. It’s been over a year since Sireesha started working. Her employers own an ice cream company and Sireesha does dipping and packaging of ice creams. An amount of 600 Rs is deducted per month.
This young girl wakes up at 6 am and gets ready for work. Her timings are 8 am to 1.30 or 2.00pm and again from 5 pm onwards to 8 pm. No play, hardly any friends. As soon as she is back home from work in the afternoon she nibbles on whatever is cooked at home and rushes to school. Sireesha loves studies and wants to atleast complete her intermediate. She says from the past few months her employer has been making her work at their home too and she dusts, sweeps and mops the floor. There is no extra payment for her. At this rate she might have to work another three years to repay the loan with interest.
“My father went to get the money from the village. I think my grandfather will give him the money. He might free me from this work or may not too. I can’t say anything” says Sireesha. She pleads, “Earlier I would work hard but now I’m just not able to do any work. There is no rest, I just come home and sleep. I wish I could study more. “ Her employer even came to the school one day and reprimanded her for bunking work, and took her back. “Pani ki dumma kodthavu, ikkadiki raaneeki chethanaithada? Chaduvu enduke neeku?”, screamed her employer and dragged her back to work.