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A laboured childhood: all work and no play is hurting the nation

A Laboured Childhood: All Work And No Play Is Hurting The Nation
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Raju (name changed), an 8-year-old boy lives with his parents in the outskirts of Mangalore. His parents are daily wage workers and his Amma (grandmother) sells peanuts on the Panambur beach.

Raju is fortunate that he is allowed to attend school; he studies at a government-run school in the city. After a long day at school, while his friends play in the evening, Raju accompanies his Amma to the beach and sells peanuts with her.

Another child, Chotu (name changed), told us he is 14 years old and works as a domestic help in a local restaurant. He washes plates and cups, sweeps the floor and also waits tables. He does kitchen work and other petty work that he is instructed to do by his employers.

Raju and Chotu are not the only ones without a childhood.  They are among the 4.5 million children (Census 2011) suffering as child labourers in India, while bound to poverty thus deprived. Even though several organizations are tirelessly working towards giving them the childhood they are missing, there is very little real improvement.

 

Raids: a drop in the ocean

According to media reports, numerous raids are regularly conducted by welfare organizations, police and the labour department which underscore the fact that child labor is prevalent in the society.

Recently, on October 16, 2014, child rights activists, along with the Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths rescued 18 bonded child labourers from a factory in the city. A senior police officer said that 13 children were laboured under the age of 14 years and 7 under 18 at the units. Police arrested nine people for running these units.

On the same day, the police also rescued a six-year-old maid from a flat in JC Nagar, Bangalore. The girl was employed for household chores by a senior citizen suffering from ill health.  In another raid on October 18, 2014 around 30 children were rescued from a bag-manufacturing unit in Bangalore.

These are just a few of the many child labour atrocities that are prevalent in the state and are just the tip of the iceberg.

When Newskarnataka.com spoke to the DG Nagesh, Assistant Labor Commissioner (ALC), he said, “In the entire year – 2014, till now only five cases of child labor have been registered in Dakshina Kannada District, however raids are conducted every month around the district.”

“It is difficult to monitor child labour employed in domestic work in homes, as raiding residential  apartments and houses are an issue. However child labor is comparatively less in DK Dist.”, declared DG Nagesh.

 

The legal framework: a step in the right direction

In August 2012, the Child Labour Prohibition (And Regulation) Act 1986 was toughened up and renamed the Child & Adolescent Labour (Prohibition) Act 2012.

The amended ACT has made all forms of child labour under the age of 14 years, and employment of children below 18 years, in hazardous occupations, a criminal offense. However children in the age group of 14 – 18 may work in non hazardous occupations, to contribute to household income.

DG Nagesh, responding to a question on self employment among children, due to poverty, interesting said that “as per the Child Labour Prohibition (And Regulation) Act 1986, only if an employer is present in a case it can be termed as child labour, and the department can take action”.  This has relevance as a number of children are ‘self employed’ selling food stuff, polishing shoes, etc in public places.

The Factories Act, 1948; The Mines Act, 1952; The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act, 2000; The Minimum Wages Act, 1948; The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 are other landmark legislations that attempt to improve the lot of children.

An advocate speaking to Newskarnataka, said that, “Sincerity and implementation is the key to winning this battle”.

 

NGO’s:  fighting a losing battle

“Save the Children”, is a leading organization working against Child Labour, and they like many of their counterparts,  are working hard to make child labor socially and culturally unacceptable.

Activists say that even as awareness grows, the will to implement the laws in letter and spirit is not very strong. “Also the government must provide alternative options for families that depend upon income from their children as the law does not address the reasons that compel children to work: poverty, family debts, marginalization, and migration of their parents”.

NGO’s are now demanding that the ban on child labour be expanded to include all children below the age of 18.  According to them, it is estimated that 74 percent of child domestic workers in India are between the ages of 12 and 16.

Expert speak:

Speaking to NewsKarnataka, Asha Nayak, the former district president of the child welfare committee said that child labor is prevalent because the public expects the government to take initiatives, however it is a latent issue and civil society needs to be pro-active with regard to the same.

Quoting an example Nayak said, “People in the region hire underage children, claiming that they will accompany their own children and play with them, although soon they deprive these bonded children of their natural freedoms, and force them into domestic chores.”

“There is also a need to change the mindsets of people who traditionally employ young children, typically the middle-class and the affluent. There is a  widely prevalent notion that it is actually benevolent to employ children in households and thereby provide them shelter, food and clothing”, asserted Nayak.

“The change will not be overnight, awareness is crucial. However the society must be vigilant and report such cases”, concluded Nayak.

DG Nagesh, ALC,  echoed this sentiment when he said, “the entire society must take responsibility, one must not employ children, report if child labor is spotted in their neighborhood and create awareness among people”.

 

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