Bengaluru: The ‘Bengalauru Resolution’ was passed at the emergency strategic meeting on the issue of child labour on Thursday by the center of child and law, National Law of School of India University.
The resolution was the outcome of a one day emergency strategic consultation meeting was organized by the Centre for Child and the Law, National law of School of India University, NLSIU, Bengaluru to discuss the implications of a central government proposal to bring about a relaxation in Child Labour laws to allow children to work with their families and certain occupations. This includes working in the fields or forests, or in home based industries.
Representatives from various child rights movements and networks like Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL); People’s Alliance for Fundamental Right to Education (PAFRE) – Karnataka; Student Islamic Organisation (SIO) – Karnataka; Child Rights and You (CRY) – Bengaluru; Jeetha Vimukthi Karnataka (JEEVIKA); Indian Social Institute(ISI) – Bengaluru; Child Welfare Committee (CWC) – Bengaluru; Social Work Department – Bengaluru University (BU); Rural Literacy and Health Programme(RLHP) -Mysuru; Centre for Child and the Law, National Law School India University (CCL-NLSIU) participated in the strategic consultation.
VP Niranjanaradhya from Centre for Child and the Law, National Law School India University (CCL-NLSIU) told Newskarnataka that the participants strongly opposed the proposal to relax Child Labour Laws to allow children to work with their families and certain occupations. This includes working in the fields or forests, or in home based industries. “The language of the present union government on the premise of ‘not redrawing the social fabric of Indian society’ indirectly suggests that the government intends to continue the existing in-equality in the area of school education and economic exploitation in the various fields by tinkering the existing legislation”, he alleged.
The participants and child rights activists, strongly urgdd for the following in their resolution:
1. All Child Right Legislation must comply with the definition of child being 18 years as laid down in UNCRC and National Policy for Children 2013.
2. Abolish all forms of child labour up to the age of 18 years without any distinction
3. Bring necessary amendments to Article 21A to ensure equitable quality education to all children from 3 to 18 years.
4. Child rights networks and movements across the nation should come together to build strong national alliance to pressurize the central government to implement the above demands.
