The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Official figures for child labour in Vellore industries disputed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 06, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Official figures for child labour in Vellore industries disputed

By Our Staff Reporter

VELLORE, OCT. 5. The Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum (VCWF) and the Consumers Protection Council (CPC) have disputed the official figures for child labour in tanneries.

In a letter to the Special Officer in the Chief Minister's Special Cell, Chennai, with reference to a petition sent by the honorary secretary of the CPC, P.S. Subrahmanian, seeking break-up figures for child labour in all industries, the Commissioner of Labour, M. Saikumar, pointed out there were a total of 1,625 child labourers, 847 boys and 778 girls in Tamil Nadu. These included 10 child workers — nine boys and a girl — in the tannery industry.

He informed the Special Officer that the INDUS (Indo-US) Child Project — a joint venture of the Governments of India and the United States — was being implemented in Tiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram, Virudhunagar, Namakkal and Tiruvallur districts. "Though Vellore district is not covered by the INDUS Project, it has already been covered under the National Child Labour Programme (NCLP) since 1995, and measures are being taken to identify and rehabilitate the child labourers in Vellore district. Since inception of the NCLP, 9,610 child labourers have been rescued and rehabilitated."

Mr. Saikumar said instructions were given to the officers in Vellore district to enforce the laws on child labour prohibition. A Child Labour Prevention Squad was formed and joint raids were organised regularly. So far, 101 employers were prosecuted. An action plan for eradication of child labour was drawn up by the district administration.

As per a Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) survey conducted in March 2003, only 10 children were found engaged in tanneries.

However, Mr. Subrahmanian, wanted to know why Vellore district had not been included in the INDUS project, "when the NCLP was an utter failure".

When measures were taken from 1995 to identify and rehabilitate child labourers in the district, he wanted to know why there were still child labourers, the beedi industry and other trades.

Referring to the identification of 10 child labourers in tanneries, he said the number should be at least 100 times more, in view of the "irrefutable fact that there are more than 3,000 tanneries — big, medium and small — in Vellore district alone".

He sought specific information on the tanneries, which employed child labour.

Mr. Subrahmanian sought information on how many hazardous industries in Vellore district employing child labour were asked to pay the compensation of Rs. 20,000 per child and how many of them paid it.

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