Indian born Roghini Govindhan knows hardship. She was sold to a contractor at the age of 13 and, up until five years ago, she was working furious 11-hour days in a cramped damp room churning out match boxes.
Now 24, Govindhan has taken her first trip abroad, sharing her painful experiences with audiences of Australian school students, as part of World Vision's Don't Trade Lives anti-slavery campaign.
Govindhan acknowledges the rapid change in her fortunes has been dizzying.
'It was difficult at first,' she says. 'But I feel so accepted when I talk to the young people. It gives me confidence to speak about my story.'
Born and raised in Gudiyattam in the Vellore District, Govindhan's teenage years and education were abruptly cut short when her family fell behind in repaying the 2000 rupees (AUD$48) loan they took to finance her elder sister's wedding. Govindhan was taken as bond by a contractor to work off the debt.
'Since I was younger and only studying, it was my responsibility to go to work for the family. My quota was 1400 matchboxes a day and the pay they give me is 15 paisa (AUD$0.36). I was given the paper and glue and a wooden platform. I sat with my legs crossed for 11 hours every day folding and gluing the paper.'
Inadequate lighting and a meagre diet of rice and water led to mistakes that served to increase the interest on Govindhan's debt. Her visual memory of her ordeal is hazy. She acutely remembers voices, particularly of the abusive factory manager she simply calls 'The Man'.
'Because so many of us were girls, the man in the house used to shout at us and threaten us. He spoke very dirty words and language to us to make us feel bad and humiliated.'
Three months into her contract, Govindhan swallowed a mouthful of pills in a failed suicide attempt. 'I had no education and no future,' she says. 'I was so depressed and always worried that I would never finish my schooling. I thought "why me?" and "what's the point of staying in this world?"'
UNICEF estimates there are 158 million children aged 5–14 currently involved in child labour, ranging from the mining and agricultural industry to prostitution and domestic servants. According to the Indian Census of 2001, 12 million children are recognised as being child labourers. Leading NGOs put the figure as