[Kristie Lu Stout:] Welcome to NEWS STREAM, where news and technology meet. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. The sound of heavy gunfire during an aerial attack. Pro-Gadhafi forces clash with rebels in Ras Lanuf amid mixed reports that Libya's leader may be trying to broker a way out. This 5-year-old girl toils in the dirt, making bricks to help pay her family's debt. As part of the "CNN Freedom Project," we'll take you inside India's illegal bonded labor trade. And one man's quest for the truth. Meet the reporter making sure the poor and voiceless are heard in China. Now, Libya has entered its fourth week of bloody conflict, but claims have emerged about an offer for Moammar Gadhafi that could prevent a fifth. Opposition figures say that he has agreed to step down if he's guaranteed safe passage out of the country, but the government vehemently denies this. Now, CNN's Arwa Damon reports from rebel-held Benghazi on the efforts of the shadow government in eastern Libya.
[Arwa Damon, Cnn International Correspondent:] As children scamper around the spoiled war, opposition leaders deliver the latest military and political updates from a small window of the north Benghazi courthouse. [on camera]: Around the corner is a side door to the courthouse, the entrance to what has become the de facto decision-making nerve center. It is here where they decided to form the National Council, a shadow interim government of sorts. [voice-over]: The group faces a monumental task. Amal Bugaigis is a member of what is known as the February 17th Coalition made up of lawyers and intellectuals who are at the forefront of the uprising. And it is they who put together the council.
[Amal Bugaigis, February 17th Coalition Member:] It is the legal body in front of the whole world who represent the revolution.
[Damon:] Most critical at this stage, she says, is international recognition, developing a strategic plan of defense for the fighters on the front line, many of whom do not even have military experience. And they're heavily outgunned by staunch Gadhafi supporters. And how to handle Libya's natural wealth.
[Bugaigis:] The oil, because it's very important to the world and it's very important to Libya, because we cannot continue without money, but agreement with the world.
[Damon:] The council itself meets, we are told, at an undisclosed location in eastern Libya. Within these walls, impromptu encounters morph into debates and arguments. Trying to govern a non-state entity with democratic ambitions is a new experience for most. We came across a group of tribal elders here to pledge their support. Usama has just arrived with news from the front lines, brandishing what he says is the helmet of a downed pilot. He explained that he's here to reassure people that the opposition is winning the battle, that Libyan TV is stating they lost. [on camera]: So, Gadhafi's propaganda campaign though must be pretty powerful if it is able to initially even cause you to worry.
[Bugaigis:] You see, when you see this on the TV, you have some doubts, maybe something happened.
[Damon:] Amid the hallway bus we find Mohammed, here to draw attention to his case. [on camera]: He was a political prisoner. [voice-over]: He was thrown behind bars numerous times since he was 12, jailed, he says, for anti-Gadhafi graffiti. He says he was tortured repeatedly. Half his body is now paralyzed. Like many, he is euphoric at being able to freely speak his mind. But at the same time, he shares the general apprehension that Gadhafi will launch a vicious bombing campaign. The will to win is as strong as ever. Now the National Council has to come up with a cohesive plan to move it from civil war to the creation of a new civil society. Arwa Damon, CNN, Benghazi, Libya.
[Stout:] And Arwa Damon joins us live from Benghazi. And Arwa, the opposition says that Gadhafi is trying to strike a deal. Give us the details and the reaction.
[Damon:] Yes, Kristie. And this is a very fluid situation here as well, especially in terms of information. But we did hear from opposition leaders that their intermediaries Gadhafi was offering to convene the people of congress. In return, he would step down. He wanted guarantees of safe passage for him and his family, guarantees that he would not be prosecuted at a later date. This offer on every single level met with a lot of skepticism as to whether or not it was genuine. In return, the opposition said that it was countering with saying that if Gadhafi in fact did intend to live up to his side of that potential bargain, he would have to come out and say that he was no longer Libya's leader, and he would have to recognize the legitimacy and authority of this newly formed National Council. We did, however, hear from government officials in Libya that this offer was baseless, that it did not exist. When we returned with that response to the opposition leadership here, they said that they were not surprised. They had all along believed, they said, that this was just another one of Gadhafi's tricks Kristie.
[Stout:] Arwa Damon, joining us live from Benghazi. Thank you for that. Now, for three full weeks, the U.N. Security Council has monitored developments in Libya, and three members, namely the U.S., U.K. and France, are working on a possible resolution. Now, one factor that could come into play, a no-fly zone over the troubled nation. Now, that is supported by nations around the Persian Gulf. But lying to the east are two permanent members of the Security Council who could make a no-fly zone a no-go zone. Any kind of military intervention could face criticism from Russia and China, two nations that have veto power. Now, the situation in Libya has now unquestionably turned into all-out civil war. But will a civil war of sorts erupt over U.N. resolution plans? Now, CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr joins me live. And Barbara, a no-fly zone requires international buy-in. So what is the likelihood it will go ahead?
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, you know, it's tough to say at this point, Kristie. Here, in the United States, the Obama administration is making it very clear, that international buy-in is vital. There needs to be a U.N. resolution. It need to happen perhaps under a NATO umbrella, of NATO planes conducting any such operation. And things are long way from that right now, because there is very little call for Western powers to really get involved in Libyan air space, on the ground in Libya. And the Obama administration knows that. So, yesterday, the White House spokesman, Jay Carney, walked a very delicate line between the reality of the situation politically and trying to send a signal to Gadhafi that the U.S. and the international community still has a strong will to act. Have a listen.
[Jay Carney, White House Press Secretary:] We are in consultation with our international partners. A no-fly zone option is certainly one that would be discussed at NATO. In terms of the procedures of getting there, should we want to pursue that option, I'm not going to elaborate on the paths, but only to say that it is being considered. No option has been removed from the table, but ground troops is not sort of top of the list at this point.
[Starr:] So, let's be very clear. No U.S. ground troops in Libya. That is not something that the U.S. administration has the stomach or interest for. As far as a no-fly zone, keep watch on the U.N. Britain, France and the U.S. still trying to work through all of that, getting some support for the general idea of it out in the region there, in the Middle East. But it's a long way from happening, and it's not something that the Pentagon really wants to do. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, for days now, has been warning it would be very tough and essentially amount to a military conflict for U.S. warplanes to try and deal with a no-fly over Libya Kristie.
[Stout:] So a no-fly zone a long way from happening. Barbara Starr, joining us live from the Pentagon. Thank you.
[Starr:] Sure.
[Stout:] Now, this week, CNN is launching our "Freedom Project." Now, we're joining the fight to end modern-day slavery. It's a horror that at least 10 million people face every day in every corner of the world. And throughout the year we'll bring you some of their voices. And through their stories, the "CNN Freedom Project" hopes to unveil the web of criminal organizations trading in human life. Now, today, we're putting the spotlight in rural India where, in some places, entire villages are enslaved by landowners. Now, some people are working to pay off minor debts owed for generations. Sara Sidner reports on this vicious cycle.
[Sara Sidner, Cnn International Correspondent:] An army of brick makers heaving, stacking, balancing bricks and more bricks from sunup to sundown. But these laborers take home no wage. They are working off a debt. They are bonded laborers, bound to those who gave them an advance or a loan. Human rights activists say the practice is legal and call them India's modern slaves. "I cannot leave here unless I pay my debt." Dirgawasi tells me she has no idea when that will be. [on camera]: The workers here tell us, generally, here's how it works. The contractor shows up promising them work and giving them a little advance money. Then, they're tractored in from their far off villages to a place they've never been to, and they're told when they get here that they have to work off their loan and they will not be paid any wages. They're also told they have to live here so the supervisors can keep an eye on them. [voice-over]: It isn't just the adults who are expected to work. Dirgawasi is a mother of three. Her eldest daughter should not be this skilled at brick making. She is only 5 years old. Her mother says she took an advance of 1,000 rupees, the equivalent of about $22. She, her husband and her daughter have been working six days a week for two months now. She says no one has told her when the loan will be paid off. Their small allowance is barely enough to feed the family. Still, they don't dare leave. "They will beat me if I try to leave," Dirgawasi says. We want to ask the supervisor about what seems to be a violation of Indian labor law. [on camera]: Is the supervisor supervisor? [voice-over]: So when a supervisor shows up asking us to leave, we take our opportunity and he agrees to speak to us. [on camera]: Are they having to pay this loan off now? [voice-over]: "Yes, they have to work and repay the loan. They keep working," he says. [on camera]: Is this legal? How is it legal? [voice-over]: "Yes, yes," he says. "We have an agreement." [on camera]: Why are children working here? [voice-over]: "Kids are working here for food. They need food. If they can't fill their stomachs, they need to work," he says, as he's pulled away. Perhaps he has said too much. [on camera]: I'm not going to pay you money.
[Unidentified Male:] Money. Money.
[Sidner:] Why? Why would I pay you money? Why? [voice-over]: Though he won't pay the workers a wage, he has no problem asking us to pay him for the interview. We of course refuse, and everyone goes back to making bricks. Some will stay trapped in debt.
[Supriya Awasthi, Free The Slaves:] They remain in
[Sidner:] Supriya Awasthi works for an international organization called free the slaves. She admits her organization's mission is ambitious. [on camera]: What's the most shocking thing that's happening here in this country?
[Awasthi:] There are 27 million people around the world who are enslaving, and the maximum number of people enslaving live in India.
[Sidner:] Just down the road, in the village of Gomanpur we meet Carbon. "When my father was alive, he took an 8,000 rupee loan from the landowner. Since that time, I have to work day and night for him." His father's debt, the equivalent of $175, changed his life. Carbon says, "No matter who is your family borrowed money, their debt becomes your debt." "Even when I'm hurt or sick, they call me to work," he says. "You won't believe how many atrocities I have to bear each day." Before he was injured on the job, he says he tried to escape several times, but they found him and brought him back from as far away as Mumbai. It's true, there are no physical signs of what this place is about. No chains, no fences, and no armed guards. But these villagers say they are all slaves just the same. [on camera]: What will happen if you just take your family and leave and go somewhere else? [voice-over]: "If I don't work for them, they will beat me and abuse my daughter," she says. "If you don't give in, they'll sell your daughter and son." Lawti borrowed money from a landowner to treat her husband's tuberculosis. [on camera]: How much do you owe? [voice-over]: "I am an illiterate. So how would I know how much we owe and what's left to pay? I don't even know how much we had taken. It's been many years." So she works. These villagers say they all do. There is nowhere to run to and no way to get there. None of them had any idea that Indian law outlawed this practice more than 30 years ago. [on camera]: What does freedom mean to you? [voice-over]: "The day I pay my debt, I will be free. We'll be prosperous," she says. Now, Lawti's dream is to be able to work long enough so her children will be freed from the loan that binds her to this land and this life. Sara Sidner, CNN, Uttar Pradesh, India.
[Stout:] Shocking, isn't it? A cycle so vicious and so heartbreaking. Now, CNN caught up with an Indian magistrate, and he says that until there are improvements in education, the nation will likely continue to fight this kind of poverty.
[Ranvijay Singh, Subdivisional Magistrate:] When, India has three things first of all, 100 percent education, when every parent will be empowered he will understand the value of his child. Nation formation, nation building what is my child's value? They'll begin to understand. And socioeconomic development of every state of the society. Until India progresses in these three factors, we'll just have to continue doing these rescues, and they will just keep sending these kids to work. This is their compulsion. The most important thing for them is food.
[Stout:] And tomorrow on CNN, Sara Sidner brings us another aspect to the story rescuing workers from debt slavery, the power of fear when work is your entire life. That's tomorrow, right here on NEWS STREAM. And still to come this hour in our coverage of those working to end slavery, there's a new million-dollar fund to help the victims of human trafficking. It is the first of its kind. And the U.N.'s goodwill ambassador on human trafficking. The actress Mira Sorvino will be joining us live. Now, Egyptian women, they are demanding equality for all. And activists say it is the only way for the country to move forward. We'll bring you a live report from Cairo. Plus, vaccination investigation. Japan probes the safety of shots that have been given to babies around the world.