Brief Note of Childlabour

Brief note of ChildLabour

“ The ones who will suffer most for the mistakes we make in raising ourchildrenwill be ourgrandchildren”.

- lmogeneFey

Beingasocio-economicproblem,childlabourisgenerallyconcededthatilliteracy,ignorance,low wages,unemployment,poorstandardofliving,abjectpoverty,deepsocialprejudicesandappallingbackwardnessofthecountrysideareall,severallyandcollectively,therootcausesofchildlabour.

Officialy, it has been stated that, “Child labour is no longer a medium of economicexploita-tionbutisnecessitatedbyeconomicnecessityoftheparentsandinmanycasesthatofthechildhimself. “While Prof. Gangrade believes that child labour is a product of such factors ascustoms,traditionalattitude,lackofschoolorreluctanceofparentstosendtheirchildrentoschoolunisation,industrialisation migration and soon.

POVERTY
MAJORCAUSES

Mostly, ofthepopulationofIndialivesbelowthepovertyline.Thegrossnationalproductincomehaddecreasedby5percent,andpercapitarealincomeby7percentduring1979-80.Accord-ing to the annual report of the Ministry of Programme Implementation for 1988-89, thepovertypercentagegotreducedfrom48percentin1977-78to37in1984-85.Outof316millionpepolewho fall below the poverty line, 118 millionare children. Out of these children , 99 million are inruralareas and 19 million are concentrated in urbanareas.

Theparentsofthepoverty-riddenpopulationarefacedwiththebewilderingquestionastowhethertheyshouldsendtheirchildrentoeducationalinstitutionstolearnandequipthemselvesfor adulthood,ortosendthemtothelabourmarketargumenttheincomeoftheirstarvingfamilies.

Widesspread poverty is one of the major causes of child labour. In India, which is adevelop-ingcountry,povertyforcestheparentstosendtheirchildrentoseekemploymentbecauseaugmenta-tionoftheirincomeisessentialforthesurvivalofthefamilyincludingthechildrenthemselves.

Illness and other contingencies demand extra money in hand and the employment of childrenisresortedtoasaquickandeasilyaccessiblewaytogetit.TheinstituteofPublicOpinionconducteda surveyin1969,whichshowedthat41.2percentoftheIndianpopulationwasbelowthepovertyline.Half of these belong to the Scheduled castes and tribes. In villages a vast majority ofagricultural labour belongs to these communities.

TheMumbaistudyonworkingchildrenfoundthatloweconomicstatusofthefamilywasthe singlelargestfactorfornon-schoolingofthechildrenandtheircomingintothelabourmarket.A studyonchildlabourinKhurjepotteriesrevealedthatmostoftheparentsofworkingchildrenhad less than five bighas of land. These families owned one or two milch animals which theparentstendedandthechildrenworkedinthepotteriesofKhurja.

As such, due to extreme poverty, the parents are not only incapable of investing intheirchildren’s development, they are even reluctant to support them and want them to become asource ofincometothefamilyasearlyaspossible.

TheReportofCommitteeonChildLabouropinesthatchoronicpovertyisthefactorrespon-siblefortheprevalenceandprepetuationofchildlabour.Itreports:

“NearlyhalfofIndia’spopulationsubsistsbelowpovertyline.Inthecountryside,thedistribu-tion of land is most iniquitous. The lower 50 percent households own only 4 percent of the land.As manyof27.2percentoftheruralhouseholdsareagriculturaltenantsand30.4percentagriculturallabourers.Nearlyone-thirdofthemetropolitanpopulationlivesinslumsandandimprovisedtenomant.InMadras90.8percentofthefamiliesofworkingchildrenhaveanincomebelowRs.500/-permonth. InBombay78percentandinDelhi,88percentofsuchfamilieshaveamonthlyincomeofRs.500/-and below. In these families, the child, since his very appearance in this world, is endowed with aneco-nomicmission.Thechildiscompelledtoshedsweatofbrowtokeepthewolfawayformthe door. Insomefamilies,whendiseaseorotherformsofdisabilityupsetthedelicatebalanceofthefamilybudget,theremaynotbeanyalternativebuttosendthechildtowork.Thesefamiliescannotsacrificethe smallergainsofthepresentforthelargergainsofthefuture,astheydonothaveanysurplustosustainthem.Theincomeaccruingformchildlabourmaybeapittancebutitplaysacrucialroleinsavingthe family from a shipwreck. Economic compulsions weighed heavily on the consciousness of poorpar- entsthattheywouldnotmindcolludingwiththechild’semployerinviolatingthelawandputtingthe childunderrisksofinhumanexploitations.Povertyandchildlabourthusalwaysbegeteachotherand tend to reinforce themselves in families andcommunities.”

Undoubtedly, the above statement is generally valid and poverty compels the parents tosendtheirchildrentothelabourmarket.But,itisnottrueforeachandeverysocietyasarulebecausetherearesomecommunitiesorsocietiesinwhich,irrespectiveoftheircomposition,thenumberofchildlabour is insignificant despite high levels of poverty. For example, it defies explanation that inBiharandUttarPradeshwhich,goingbythepercapitaincome,couldbetermedaspoorstates,childlabour constitutesonly4.8percentand6percentofthetotallabourforcerespectively,whereasAndhraPradeshand Karnataka, which are better off in terms of per capita income have a higher percentage ofchildlabour, constituting about 9 percent and 8 percent of the total labour force respectively. Anotherex- ample is that of Africa. It has been noted that in regions, or amongest “Tribes, “where the conceptofmarketrelationshiphasnotyetgainedanyconsiderablegroundemploymentofchildreningainfuloccupation within the family or outside it is not significant at all despite the general level ofexistingpoverty.

1.Unemployment

Theunemployedhaswroselivingconditionsthanthatofthepoor.Lowwagemakeaanpoorer but unemployment makes him absolutely poor. It turns the weak into a cripple. Poverty dempenshis spiritbutunemploymentkillsitmercilessly.So,canonemustersufficientcouragetosuggestthepov-erty- strricken unemployed not to send his child to work? Partly emplpoyed people sail in thesameboat.And,unfortunately,thecourseofunemploymentisanuniversalone.Itexistsinthemostaffluentcountries,likeUnitedStateofAmerica,also,doesexistchildlabouranditsaccompanyingproblems.Intheirbook,‘ChildWorkersinAmerica,“LumpkinandDouglashaveveryrightlypointedoutthattwo-fifthofthechildrenseekworkduetotheunemploymentoftheadultmemberofthefamily.Nearlytwo-thirdofchildrenwereatworkbecausetheadultmemberofthefamilyhadnoemploymentorhadsomeparttimejob,andone-thirdofchildrenwantedtoworkduetotheseriouscutsinthepayoftheadult.

In the opinion of PadminiSengupta:

“Labourisemployedontheaveragefor189daysinagriculturalpursuits.Thereareotherruralemploymentswhichexistbuttheoverallpositionwouldappeartobe100daysintheyearoftotal

unemployment.Duringtheperiodofunemploymentmanywomenmigratetocitieswithfamilies,and begwithbabiesintheirarms,Thyare,therfore,employingthechildrenfrominfancyforbeggingwhichisanimportantemployment,especiallynow,andchildrenofthebabygroupareexploitedwhileolderchildrenarepestsineverypartofthecityincludingrailwaystationswherebeggingisprohibitedbylaw but where it thrives as officials turn a deaf ear to the wails of boys andgirls.”

SivakasiandneighbouringareasofthenewlycreatedKamrajdistrictgetscantyrains.Asa result,littleagriculturaloperationsarebeingcarriedoutoverthere.Thishasforcedthepeopletolookfornonagriculturaljobs.TheSivakasistretchhasanumberofmatchandfire-workfactorieschildrenarepreferredbecausetheyareveryhardworkingandcheap.Thishasresultedintowidespreadunem-ployment amongadults.

InKhurjapotteries,theincidenceofchildlabourishighduetotheunemploymentofadultmembersofthefamilies.Ms.BurraFeelsthat,“Bulandshahrdistrict,althoughagriculturallyprosper- ous,haslittleworkonitsmechanisedarmsforthebulkofruralpoorwhofaceunemploymentona massivescale.TheonlyworkavailableisinthepotteriesofKhurja.

2.Low Wages of theAdult

Thewagestructureoftheadultworkmanhasadirectbearingontheoccurrenceofchildlabour. Theemployerhasavestedinterestbothways.Itisallthemoresointhecaseofstatutorilyfixedminimum wage. It is all the more so in the case of statutorily fixed minimum wage. The less anem- ployer pays to his adult workman, the more is the exploitation and the more he stands to gain onthe wage bill. The more exploited a workman is the more will be his complusions to send his childrentowork, who will be paid all the more less. So, in order to ensure adequate and regular supply ofcheapchildlaboureveninviolationoftheprotectivelaws,thevestedinterestoftheemployerwillbetokeepthewagestructureofhisadultworkersatitslowest.

AsperreportofInternationalLabourOrganisationtheproblemofchildlabourisnotproblembyitself.Inreality,theproblemisthatofmaintenanceofthechildwhichisdirectlyconnectedwiththe questionofensuringalivingwagetotheadultwageearnersothathemaybeabletomaintainhis family at an adequatestandard.

Theabovefactswerealsoobservedinanumberofseminars,workshopsandconfencesonthe problemofchildlabour,anditwasfeltthatiftheadultworkmentcouldgetareallivinngwage,theyare likelytodesistfromsendingtheirchildrentowork.

3.Absence of Schemes for FamilyAllowance

Anotherdirectcauseofchildlabour,whichisascausativeaspoverty,istheunfavourablecon-ditionathome.Theremaybetensionanduncertainty,provokedorincreasedbypoverty;thefathermay have left home; the mother may be alone; the father or mother or both may have fallen ill orbecome physicallyunfittowork,ormayhavedied.Insuchfamilies,thesecontingenciesupsetthedelicatebalance of the family budget, leaving the family with no alternative but to sent the children towork.Thesestarvingfamilywouldpreferabarebreadinhandtodayratherthangowithoutitinthehopeofbuttered bread in indistinctfuture.

ThestudyonchildlabourinAligarhlockindustriesshowsthat8percentofchildrenhavetakenupemploymentbecausetheyhaveneithermothernorfathertosupportthem,while13percentofchild

labour have only mother alive. On the other hand, 10.75 percent of children had joined thisindustrybecausetheyhadnomotherathomeandthefatherthoughtitwouldbebettertosendthemtowork.

However,theargumentthatthemostofthechildrengotoworkbecauseofthecompellingcircumstances in the event of loss of the bread winner is also fallacious to some degree because itisusuallytheheadofthefamilyhimselfwhoforceshischildrentogotothelabourmarket.Theabsenceofstautoryprovisionsandschemesforfamilyallowancealsoaddsuptotheproblemofchildlabour.InIndia, there are no schemes for such allowances that many help the needy families main tain anad- equatestandardofliving,sothattheymaynothavetosendtheirchildrentotheworkplace.

4.Migration to UrbanAreas

Migrationtocitiesduetoindustrialisationandurbanisation,isoneofthefactorsresponsiblefor theproblemofchildlabour.TheDelhistudyshowsthatthereisasubstantialnumberofmigrantsamong child workers, particularly in the field of domestic services. They also work in tea-stallsand ‘dhabas’.AlargenumberofdomesticservantsbelongedtoAlmoraandGarhwaldistrictofnorth-eastern Uttar Pradesh, while most of those working in tea-stalls and ‘dhabas’ and also thosehawkingeveningnewspapers,hadmigratedfromAzamgarh,Basti,GorakhpurandGondadistrictofUttarPradesh and, to some extent, from Bihar. The rag-pickers were partly local and partly from West Bengal.The shoe-shineboysmostlyhailedfromAgra,JhansiandShahjahpurdistrictsofUttarPradesh.Itisnotjustacoincidencethatthemigrantchildworkersinvariablybelongedtotherelativelypoorandbackwardregions of the country, and not the economically developed areas, such as, West Bengal, Haryanaand Western UttarPradesh.

TheMumbaistudyshowedthat58.2percentofthechildlabourwastheexclusiveresultofthe internationalisationoftheurbanslumculture,astheirfamilieshadmigratedtocitiesbeforetheirbirth. Inall,therewere90percentofthemwhobelongedtomigratedfamilies.Thereasonsforthemigrationof87percentfamilieswereeconomicandpresenceoffriendsandrelativesinthecitywhocouldhelpthem.Urbanisationhadevenalluredthechildrentorunawayfromtheirruralhomestothecitiestofindemployment.

5.Child Labour, A CheapCommodity

Generally,theemployersprefertotakeinchildrenwhenthegivenjobcanbeaccomplishedbythem better than the adults or at par with them, and even otherwise. To them the labour power ofthe children is a cheap commodity. By employing them they save on the wage bills. Besides, childrenare apttobedocileandmoreobedient,andcanbeeasilybulliedintosubmission.Theyreadilydoallsortsof add jobs without a whimper. The more needy a child happens to be, the less he will be paid bythe employer.

Childlabourisnotonlyverycheap,itisalsotroublefreesincechildrencannotorganisealigationsbythemselvesand,beingminors,themembershipofthetradeunionsisnotopentothem.Neithercan theydemandanyovertime,northemedicalandotherbenefits.Theactiveness,supplenessandagilityofthechild’sdelicatebodyisanadditionalassettotheemployer,makinghimmoredesirableforemployment, for he can be made to rush in and out on errand, run up and down the stairs, bend or lie down,fetchandtakebackthings,orhandoverthetoolstotheadultworkers.Hereadilydosallthisand muchmorewithoutwhimpering,protest,semseofshameorhurtedego.Noadultcanbeexpectedtodoallthis.

It is apt here to quote the Committee on ChildLabour:

Childrenhavelessdevelopedegoandstatusconsciousness.Theyarealsolessaffectedbyfeelingsofguildandshame.Childrencanbeputonnon-status,evendemeaningjobs,withoutmuchdifficulty.Childrenaremoreactive,agileandquickandfeellesstiredincertaintasks.Theycanclimbupanddownstaircaseofmultistoreyedbuildingsseveraltimesduringthedaycarryingteaandsnacks foremployeesofofficeslocatedinthesebuildings.Theyarealsobettercandidatesfortasksofhelperinagrocer’sshopnoranauto-garage.Employersfindchildrenmoreamenabletodisciplineandcontrol.They can be coaxed, admonished, pulled up and punished up for default without jeopardishingrela-tions.”

Most often, when seasonal work demands additional hands, children are more in demand,for example, during harvesting seasons when adult workers are not readily available to cope up withthe work inhand.

InIndia,childrenofveryyoungageareengagedfordomesticworkbecausetheyareverycheap. Themiddleclassfamilies,fallingwithinlowincomegroups,especiallypreferboysandgirlsoftheage group8to14toworkintheirhomesasdomesticservantsforfoodandsomepocketmoney.Theseemployers, though educated in formal sense, appear to have the least concern for these childrenand their conscience hardlypricks.

6.LargeFamilies

Large families, with comparatively low income, cannot afford to nourish high ideals andno- tionsaboutfamilyties.Resultingly,suchfamiliesfailtoprovideaprotectedchildhoodtotheirchildren.Ifthefamilyissmallandwellplanned,therewilllhardlybeanyneedofsendingtheirchildrentoworkinordertoearnwhatsoevertheymay.Thechildrenofsmallandplannedfamiliescanbecarefullylooked after and educated. But, unfortunately, the improverished and illiterate parents have athoughtthatwhenGodhasgiventhebody,hewillfeeditalso.Theyalsoconsiderthreeorfourchildrenbetter than having just one or two. For them, more children means more income. They argue thatwhereaseveryhumanbodyhasjustonemonthtoeat,ithasgottwohandstofeedit.

7.Lack of Compulsory EducationFacilities

TheChildlabourandnon-schoolingofchildrenhaveavitallinkageamongthepoorersectionsofthepopulation.Theprovisionofthecompulsoryeducationuptoaprescribedagewouldcompelthe childrentoattendschool,leavinghardlyanyscopefortheiremploymentbytheself-styledbenevolentmasters.

Due to inadequacy in schooling facilities and lack of opportunities for education, inAligarhlockindustries41percentofthechildlabourwereilliterate,31percenthadlefttheschoolbeforepassingthefifthstandardandonly28percenthadstudieduptomiddlestandard.Further,manyofthe parents, especially that of the rural and slum areas, cannot afford the prescribed minima ofuniforms,books and stationery etc., even though education is free up to primary level. Apart from theconsider- ationofexpenses,theallurementofthechild’sincomealsoplaysamajorroleintheirdecisionagainstschoolingoftheirchildren.Theyarealsonotsurethatschoolingwillreallybrightenuptheirchildren’s futureprospects.Theydreaduncertainty,andprefertofollowthesayingthatonebirdhandisbettertwo inbush.TheplightoftheeducatedunemployedyouthIndialendssupporttotheirviews.

In relation to child labour, the imortance of need for compulsory education gets confirmedbythe report of the National Commission on Labopur,1969.

“The gradual reduction in the employment of childlabour sinceindependenceisduepartlytotheexpansionof

educationalfacilitiesbythestateandalsotorelativelybetter enforcement of statutory provisions relating to childlabour.”

Themajorhurdleinthewayofmakingeducationcompulsoryforallchildrenuptoprescribedagehasbeenrightlyindicatedbytheabovereportinthefollowing:

“An artisans cannot afford to educate his wardsthough educationisfree.Forhimanuneducatedchildisanasset; desiretobeeducatedbecomesadoubleliabilitybecauseof

(a)lossofearnings,ifthechilddoesnotwork,and(b)expe-nditure on education, howsoeversmall.”

Nodoubt,theroleofeducationcannotbeunderestimatedforproperdevelopmentofchildren.Eachandeveryparentwantshischildtobecomeareputed‘A’classpersonbuttheunfortunatechildrenhaneneitherthemeansforeducationnortheyhavetimetospareforit.Theyjustcannotaffordtowaitfor a bright future tomorrow, rather than having the bread crumbsnow.

8.Illiterate and IgnorantParents

MostoftheilliteratepepolebelongtothelowersocioeconomicstrataofthepopulationinIndia.Thesepeopleareonlyconcernedwiththepresentandhaverathermuchathandtoworryabout. So, naturally, they deliberately try to escape from the stress and strains of worrying about thefuture.Theyarepleasedwithwhattheygainbytheearningsoftheirchildren.Complacently,theydonotcareto avail of the educational opportunities for their children, including vocational training, even ifthe same may be available, though such opportunities are rare for the employed children. They arealsounmindful of ill effects on the health of their workingchildren.

The Madras study had come to the conclusion that children who were in employment,werefromlowliteracygroupsofthesociety.About44percentoftheparentsofchildlabourwerealliterateandanother33percentofthemwereoflowliteracygroupshavingstudieduptostandardVonly. Therefore, a large number of parents and guardians were not aware of the importance ofeducation.Theirsoleconcernwasthemonetaryaspectoftheirchildren’semployment,andnotthedevelopmentoftheir intelligence in theleast.

Thus,thechildlabourisprevalentextensivelyinthelowersocio-economicgroupsbecauseofthelackofappreciationonthepartoftheparentsoftheroleofeducationinimprovinglifeandliving conditions.

9.TraditionalAttitudes

Manysociologicalfactorsalsocontributetotheevilofchildlabour.Intheruralsetup,thetraditionoffamilyoccupationoftenmotivatesthechildtobecomeabreadwinner.Forexamplea goldsmith’ssontakestogold-smithery,oracarpenter’schildprefershisancentralvocation.Itisworthnothing that 15.75 percent of the child labour had joined the Aligarh lock industries because oftheirfamilytraditions.

Besidestheabovementionedfactorsresponsibleforchildlabour,thereareseveralothercauses

too.Firstly,theprovisionsoftheprotectivelabourlegislationsarelopsidedanddonotcoveragricul-ture and small scale industries. Further, the enforcing machineries, which are provided by thestategovernments,areinadequatealmosteverywhereandfailtocheckuponchild labour.TheFactoriesActitselfisdefectiveinmanyrespects,mainlysobecauseitdoesnotapplytocraftsmenonthe untenable ground that they do not usepower.

To conclude, the child labour emerge due to multiple causes- some economic, somesocial somepsychologicalandotherwise.Thiscanbecurbedonlyafterstrikingattherootcauses.

CHILD WORKERS FACE REHABBLUES

ItisthequestionthathasbeenhauntingtheDelhigovernmentsincethenotificationbanning

child labour in the domestic/employment sector was issued three months ago- how is it goingtorehabilitatethechildren,anestimatedonelakhofthem,rescuedfromthecity’sdhabhas,restaurantsand homes? Three days after the ban on child labour came in to effect, the government still hasnosatisfactoryanswer:

Thestarkrealityisthateveniftheofficialsrescuechildlabourers,thereisnotenoughinfra- structureandmechanismtorehabilitatethem.At,presentthereareonly20Transition EducationalCentres(TEC)frorescuedchildlabourers.Atbest,theycanaccommodate1,000childrenatatime,where-as,accordingtosomeNGOs,thenumberofchildlabourersinthecityisclosetoonelakh.

Askedabouttheplanstotacklethesituation,LabourMinisterM.R.Singhalpointedoutthatthe government had proposed another 40TECs.

“Thechildrencanbeaccommodatedinthesecentres,”hesaid.Remindedthatthiswashardly sufficient, the minister was left groping for a reply. “An action plan has been drawn up and ithas assignedtaskstovariousdepartmentssothatallofthemworkinsynergyfortheeradicationofchildlabour from the city,” was all the minister had tosay.

Thegovernment,withhelpfromsomeNGOs,impartsvocationaltrainingtochildrenandgetsthemenrolledinschoolsintheTECs,saidJointLabourCommissionerPiyushSharma.

However, the numbers are too huge to deal with, officials admitted. Realising the enormous taskahead,thegovernmenthasdecideitwillnotconductraidstillDiwaliforrescuingchildlabourers.“Wedonotwanttotraumatisechildrenduringthefestiveseason“Sharmasaid.Butthiswillonlypostpone action, not avert it. The government claims that almost all child labourers in Delhiare either from West Bengal or from Bihar and Jharkhand. Therefore,a meeting of officials fromthe concerned states was held, in which it was decided that the respective state governmentswouldrehabilitatethechildrenaftertheyweresenthomefromDelhi.

Whatabouttheemployerswhoclaimthatthechildrenworkingintheirdhabas,restau-rants,teashopsorrepairshopsaretheirown?Officialswouldinquirewhetherthechildisenrolledina school ans attends it regularly, said the minister.”If the child studies in a school and worksparttime,we will not take any action, “hesaid.

Thefineprint13occupationsand57processeswerealreadyprohibittedundertheChildLabourAct,1986.Thegovernmenthasnowprohibittedemplpoymentofchildrenagedbelow14asdomesticworkersorinteashopsanddhabas-ThelawprescribesafineofuptoRs.20,000and imprisonment of up to one year. The Court has also directd that emplpoyers pay Rs. 20,000for rehabilitation of children employed bythem.

BAN IN FORCE, BUT WHERE IS THEPLAN?

Minister has noclue

ADaybeforethelabourministry’sbanonemployingchildrenbelowtheageof14yearsindhabas,resturants and homes came into force, Union m inister of state for child and womendevelopment, RenukaChoudharymadeacandidadmission:impementingthebanwouldbea“trickyjob”.

Oneofthemajorproblemsfacingtheministryofchildandwomendevelopment,whichwillbeplayamajorroleinrehabilitationchildrenrenderedjoblessduetotheban,isthatithasnoideaabout the number of children it will have to dealwith.

“Wehavewritten,morethanonce,tothelabourministryforthefiguresofchildrenwhoare likelytobeaffectedbytheban.Weareyettoreceivearesponse,“saidChoudharywhileadmittingthatimplementatngthebanwouldbea“tightropewalkandatrickyjob”.

Talking to the Hindustan Times on Monday, the minister was, how-ever, happy that theban wasbeingimplementedandsaidthatitwasastepintherigthdirection.

Sheadmittedthattherewasnoplanfortherehabilitationofrescuedchildren.

“We are awaitting the data from the labour ministry so that we can argument facilitiesofschools,sheltersandmiddaymeals.”However,shemaintainedthattheirdepartmentwasinaposi-tion to deal with thesituation.

Whenaskedifthelabourministryhadtakenherministryintoconfidenceorsoughtsugges-tions for rehabilitation of the children prior to the announcement of the October 10 deadline,the ministersaid,“Theydidn’tconsultusbutIhavenocomplaintsasthishadtobedone.Childrenhaverighttochildhoodandtheyshouldnotbedeprivedofit”,shesaid.

CHILDLABOUR

Thelaw

Under the new notification under theChildLabour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act1986,employing children as domestic helps andateatries could earn imprisionment up to a yearora fine of Rs 10,000 or both. In case ofsecond offence, punishment can bedoubled.

Dayone

The labour department said it rescued 11children

from a zari embroidery unit in South Delhi onTuesday.

Rehabilitation weaklink

ON A day the notification barring child workers in eateries, shops and homes came into effect,therewas widespread scepticism on theground.

Expertswonderedhowthegovernmentwouldimplementthebanwithoutacomprehensiverehabilitationpackagefortherescuedchildren.

SomeNGOshaveevenfiledaRTIapplicationseekingtoknowthelabourministry’saction

plan.

ShaijuVerghese,coordinatorwithChildHelp-line,saiditwouldbedifficultforagenciestolocateandrescuedomestichelpsunlesssocietyissensitisedandpepoletaketheinitiativetoinformthe authorities.

Theministry,ontheotherhand,isplanningtostrengthenitsflagshipproject,theNationalChildLabourProject,whichnowcovers250childlabourendemicdistricts.Adecisioninthisregardhasbeentaken on the recommendation of the Technical Advisory Committee on Child Labour headed bythe DirectorGeneraloftheIndianCouncilofMedicalResearch.“Moremoneywouldbeprovidedfor rehabilitation of the children rescued,” a ministry officialsaid.

The committee, while recommending a ban, had said that children are subjected tophysicalviolenc,psychologicaltraumaandevensexualabuse-incidentswhichgounnoticedastheytakeplacein the closed confines of households, dhabas andrestaurants.

Thepanelconsideredtheoccupationsmentionedinthenotificationashazardousforchildrenandrecommendedtheirinclusioninoccupationsprohibitedforpersonsbelow14yearsundertheChildLabour(ProhibitionandRegulation)Act,1986.

Number of workers still notknown

CHILDRENAGEDlessthan14didnotstopwashingdishesateateries,moppingfloorsofhomes, pickingragsordoingotherhazardousworksfitforadultsonTuesday.

“Anyonefoundemployingchildrenbelowage14willbepunished,”wasalllabourandindustryministerM.R.Singhalassuredonadaywhenchildrenwerebannedfrombeingemployedasdomestichelpsorinhotelsanddhabas,areaskeptoutoftheChildlabourActinthepast.

Andinanotherpointertoitslackofseriousnesstoendchildlabour,theDelhigovernmentdoesnot know how many children work for a living in the capital and in which areas. In a face-server,the government announced to rope in NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to find out the numberofchild workers in thecity.

Labourofficialsestimatethenumberofchildworkersinthecityat60,000,upby13,000overthe last census figure of 47,000 in 2001. On how prepared the department was to tackle childlabour, Singhalsaidlabourofficersinalldistrictswouldintiateactionagainstemployersofchildren.

NGOsinvolvedinendingchildlabour,however,saidafurthernotificationwasrequiredtoban childlabourinspecifiedtrades.SocialJuristsaidtheJuly10notificationoftheministryoflabourand employmentbanningchildlabourasdomestichelps,theiremploymentindhabas,resturants,eateries,tea shops and recreational centres, among others, was three month notice on the intention of thegov-ernmenttobanit.“Ithastobefollowedbyernmenttobanit.“Ithastobefollowedbyafurthernotification,“saidAshokAggarwaloftheNGO.

“ThefirstnotificationoftheirintentionwasissuedonJuly28,2000,whereasthefurthernoti-ficationbanningchildlabourintheaforesaidprocesseswasissuedonMay10,2001,“Aggarwalpointed out. The NGO said thousands of children are also engaged in agriculture, where childlabour has yet to be banned by the Centre. “ The Centre should put a complete ban on child labour in allits forms, “hesaid.

No work, noplay

for childlabour

The recent ban on emplpoying children under 14 came into forceonOctober 10. Vibha Sharma speaks to a cross-section of people onthe effectiveness of the ban as well as its socio economicimpact

ALMOSTamonthaftertheamendedChildLabour(ProhibitionandRegulation)Actcameintoforcein India, 13-year-old Babul is doing exactly what he was doing before October 10- washingdishes andhelpingtheladyofthehousewhereheisemployedasadomesticservant.

Theonlychangeinthelifeofthisfrail-lookingmigrantfromanobsscurevillageonthe Orissa-Biharborderisthatnowhehasabirthcertificate,dulysignedbyauthoritiesconcerned,whichhasplacementagenthasrecentlygiventohisemployers,amiddleclass,double-incomefamily in West Delhi.

ThecertificateshowsBabultobea15 -year-old. Hehasbeentutoredtorepeatthatheis15ifsomeoneaskshisageandalsotoldthatifhemakesamistake,hewilllosetheopportunitytoearntheRs.800/-foodandthehandmedownshegeteverymonth-somethingthathisfamilyneeds.

TheladyofthehouseisalsoclearthatBabulandhisfamilyneedthemoneyandsheneedshelp at home. By working for her, she feels, Babul gets three square meals a day, money andisgainfullyemployed.“Wedonotabusehimthewayithappensinmanyotherhomes....youcanask him. Moreover, whatwillhappentohimifhedoesnotwork?”Itistimetodoarealitycheckonthe ban.

Scope of theban

TheChildLabour(ProhibitionandRegulation)Actwasrecentlyamendedbythegovernmentanditnow includes child domestic work as form of hazardous labour. It states that action can betakenagainstthosewhoemploychildrenuptotheageof14indomesticwork,includinghomes,hotles,motels,tea-shops,resortsoranyotherrecreationalcentre.

Thelawearlierbannedtheemplpoymentofchildrenbelow14yearsininfactories,mines, consideredhazardousfortheirhealthandwellbeing(13processesand57occupations).Domesticchildlabouristhe58thoccupationaddedtotheAct.

Without getting into a dismissive mode on this well meaning Act, the fact is thereappearslittlecheerinstoreforcroresofworkingchildren,whosefuture,severalNGOsworkinginthefieldsay,willbecomeuncertainintheabsenceofacomprehensiverehabilitationpackage.

Cordinator of 24-hour helpline Childline, Shanta Nath, is certain thatsuccessfulimplemetationoftheActwilljustnotbepossibleintheabsenceofarehabiltationprogrammefor rescuedchildren.

“Itwouldnotbeasuccessunlessweareabletosuccessfullyrehabilitaterescuedchildren,Some of them are the sole earners of their families. Where will they go? Taking steps toprevent

childlabourisnotenough,itwillbedifficultforimplementingagenciestolocatedomesticworkersunlesssocietyinsensitised.”(RememberBabul.Heisstillworkingbecausehisemployeesdonot thinktheyaredoinganythingwrong).

The decision to ban emplpoyment of children as domestic help or servants even innon-hazardous jobs was taken on the recommendation of the Technical Advisory Committee onChildLabour,headedbytheDirector-GeneraloftheIndianCouncilofMedicalResearch.Accordingtothefindings of the Committee, children working as domestic help were often subjected tophysicalviolence,psychologicaltraumaand,attimes,evensexualabuse.Suchincidentsgounnoticedastheytake place inconfines.

Asthegovernmentgetssettocrackthewhip,doubtsariseonthefeasibilityofthebanwith-outarehabilitionplaninplace.Questionsaboundonhowthegovernmentplanstoeffectivelyimple- ment theAct.

Official -speak

TheLabourMinistryhaswarnedthatanyoneemployingchildrenintheseoccupationswillbeliable forprosecutionandotherpenalactionunderthe law. Necessarysupporthasbeensoughtfromstategovernmentsinenforcingtheban.Governmentemplpoyeeshavebeenprohibitedfromengagingchildrenasdomestichelpandanotificationhasbeenissuedthatanyoneemployingchildrenwouldbeliabletoprosecutionandotherpenalaction,includingfineandaoneyearjailterm.

Itisholdingzonal-levelmeetingstosensitisethestate-levelofficialsconcerned,civilsocietyorganisations, NGOs and other stakeholders. It has also requested other Central Governmentminis- triesforinfrastructuralsupporttowardstherehabilitationofrescuedchildren.

A 24-hour toll free helpline - 1098-is accessible in 72 cities and the expand the rehabscheme under the National Child Labour Project, which covers 250 districts of the country which havea maximum of childlabour.

Numberdumber

Clearly, the government expacts the ban to go a long way in ameliorating the condition of millionsofhaplessworkingchildren.Theproblemhereisnotofhundreds,orthousands,orevenlakhsofchildren.It is the problem of a huge figure, which some agencies peg at a whopping 120 million. What isthe governmentgoingtodowiththesechildrenthatitintendstorescue.

India is home to the largest number of working children in the world. As per UNICEFreport,World’s Children 2006, India has the largest number of workingchildren.

AuthorofChildLabourinIndia,theonlyauthoritayivebookonchildlabour,LakshmidarMishra offerssomesimplemathematicstounderstandtheextentofwhathetermsas“essentiallyasocialproblem.”Hesaysthereare200millionhouseholdsinthecountry,Nowevenif10percentoftheehouseholdsemploychildlabourinthecountrycouldbe20million.

The 2001 Census estimates 12.05 million children in India. This is clearly a huge figurethatcannotbewishedawayovernight.PredictinganaccuratedomesticchildlabourfigureisdifficultasinDelhialonetherearefourtofivelakhchildrenemployedinhazardouslabour.

“Childlabour,saysGerryPinto,aspecialistinChildRightsandAdvisor,Butterflies,anNGO,isadevelopmentissue.Childrenforcedintolabourandexploitedwhilenotreceivingeducationcrucialto their development negates all pronouncements made by the government and sections of societytothepromotionandprotectionofchildren’srights.”Gettingbacktonumbers,85percentoftheruralchildlabourersworkincultivationandagriculture.Fortypercentoftheurbanchildrenareemplpoyedinmanufacturing,repair,carpet-making,teaplantation,gemspolishing,fireworks,etc.andtherestinhomes,dhabas,road-sideeateries,etc.Thelargestnumberofchildreninurbanareasisemployedwith

domestic service, hotels and hospitalitysector.

Thereasonwhyachildgetspushedintolabouraremanybutpovertyhasthemostobviousrelationshipwithchild labour. Insomecases,one-thirdofthefamily’sincomeisfromchildren.

Absenceofsocialwelfareschemesandthefactthatchildlabourischeapermakesthingswrosefor children.Absenceofsocialwelfareschemesandthefactthatchildlabourischeapermakesthings aroseforchildren.Factorsthatcontributetothisarecasteandlackofschools.

Moreover,theattitudeofparentsandcivilsocietyfurtherjustifiestheexistenceofchildlabour- like this oftrepeated question, “what will happen to these children if they do notwork?”

“ChildlabourisadirectfalloutofmigratingpopulationinIndia.Thereare30millionpeople onthemoveinIndia.Whyarestatesnottakingtheresponsibilitytofindoutwhyparentsaremigrat-ing?Atleast,seethatruralemploymentschemesareimplementedproperly,”saysMishra.

AmajorityofchildrenarefromBihar,UttarPradesh,JharkhandandChattisgarh,allback-wardstates.Itisthepoorinfrastructureathomethatforcesthechildrenoutofthefamilyandcom-munityintothewebof labour.AlargenumberofchildrenaremortgagedinGadwaandPalmauinBihar to work in Bhadoi, Varanasi, Muzzaffarpur, saysMishra.

Trafficking of child labour is so rampant that at times children as young as five aretraffickedin Mumbai and Delhi to work in hazardoustrades.

MostofthemcomefromhistoricallybackwordgroupslikeScheduledCastesandScheduledTribes, OBCs andMuslims.

Anotherreasonforscepticismisthatthebanwillonlypushchildrenonstreets,whilesomewill be rescued from one city, only to be pushed to another aslabour.

Shelterfacility

Itisevidentthatmostofthesechildrendonothaveanidealfamilysituation,sothequestionremainswhat will these children be returningto.

Inthepasttherehavebeencaseswherechildrenwhoaresenthomereturnbacktoshelterhomes as they do not get the facilities backhome.

Now take the example of Delhi, which reportedly has at least five lakh children at workbut the government is able to offer long term shelter to only about 1500 children. In fact, there isnot evenasingleresidentialschoolinatheCapitalsoonecanverywellimaginethesituationelsewhere.Beforeanyhopesareraisedtomakethelawmoreeffective,thecountryneedsresidentialschoolsandchildren homes that offer long termshelter.

Social issue

SaysPinto,“ItisnotanissueconcerningtheMinistryofLabourbutasocialissuewherethecoreproblem is poverty, which governments have failed totackle.

“Insteadoftacklingthedisease,whatthegovernmentisdoingisfiddlingwithsymptomsofchild labour...... To put it more simply, it is like treating malaria withPCM”.

Domesticchildl;abourhasrootsinnuclearfamiliesinurbancities.With boththehsbandand wifeworking,somecheaplabourisrequiredtohelpoutathome.“Theproblemcanbesolvedonlybysociety.Themostconstructiveresponsewouldbe-CallyourChotu(orwhateverhisnameis).

Tellhimthatthingshavenowchangedandthegovernmenthasbecomeverystrictandevenifhewantstocontinueworking,hecannotdosoanymore.

Askhimwherehisparentsareandtellhimthatifsomeoneelseinhisfamilywantsajob,you can help out. Buy him a train ticket. Write a letter or somehow inform his family. Tell himyou arewillingtopayRs.100amonthtohelphimgotoschool.IamsurewecanallspareRs100a month.

IfwecansuddenlydoGandhigiri,wecanalsodothis.Achildneedstoworkinruralareasintheirownfarmlandandhousehold,providedhealsogetstogotoschoolbutnotasdomestichelpinurbanhouseholds,Asisthepracticeindevelopedcountries,learntodoyourownwork.Andifyouhavemoney,employanadult.Butonecanneverjustifytheevilofchildlabourinanycivilisedsociety.