BELGAUM: Child labour has become a major issue in the country despite efforts being made to put an end to it. Many children aged between five and 14 are forced to work because of various reasons. They may not have gone to school at all or may be dropouts.

That apart, many children who go to school are made to toil to supplement the income of their family. According to the provisional figures of Census 2001, there were 12.5 million working children aged between five and 14 of the 252 million children in the country.

Such children are found in restaurants, garages, home-based industries, and even in farms. Girls work as domestic help along with their mothers. There are reports of children working in hazardous industry, including diamond mines. All of these children belong to a common category working for wages. There are children working for long hours along with their parents or manning home businesses such as vending vegetables and fruits, looking after shops and vending milk and newspapers. Ironically, the identity of majority of them as "child labour" disappear once they cross the age of 14 when they find themselves among millions of other labourers.

The Centre has set a deadline to provide free and compulsory education for all children aged between six and 14, which is a fundamental right, by 2010 through Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. It is a project aimed at providing universal elementary education in association with all States as part of the Tenth Five Year Plan.

The State Government has taken up Sarva Siksha Abhiyan along with other schemes to eradicate child labour. According to the National Sample Survey report, the percentage of child labour in the State is 15.2, the third highest, after Andhra Pradesh's 25.1 and Rajasthan's 16.7. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan is being implemented in Chikkodi and Belgaum blocks in Belgaum district where of the total number of children, 1.52 per cent is "out of school."

According to the latest report, of the 5,98,765 children in the district, 1,35,534 boys and 1,24,637 girls are in Belgaum block and 1,77,344 boys and 1,61,250 girls are in Chikkodi block. During 2004-05, 412 boys and 484 girls dropped out of school in Belgaum block, while, 258 boys and 307 girls dropped out in Chikkodi block. A total of 1,482 children dropped out of school in the district.

The number of children who were not sent to school was 2,948 in the district. The block-wise break-up shows 799 boys and 841 girls in Belgaum block and 683 boys and 625 girls in Chikkodi block. The number of children who were never enrolled in schools was more in Belgaum block compared to Chikkodi despite the fact that Belgaum is one of the major educational centres in north Karnataka.

According to sources in the office of the District Project Coordinator, 4,409 child labourers were identified and enrolled in different schools. They included 2,152 boys and 2,257 girls.

Meanwhile, the Government has decided to open four residential schools for girls at Byakod in Raibag taluk, Vaderatti in Gokak taluk, Katkol in Ramdurg taluk and Ugarkol in Saundatti taluk. The Deputy Commissioner, M. Maheshwar Rao, who is also the Chairman of the School Advisory Committee, has directed the authorities concerned to open these schools at the earliest. He has asked the project officials to conduct a survey at the village level to identify child labourers and help in their rehabilitation. Though social workers point out rampant violation of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, only 31 cases have been registered against individuals and organisations in the district. The Deputy Commissioner, who presided over a meeting related to child labour here recently, directed the authorities to collect fines according to the provisions of the Act. He also appealed to the people to cooperate with the district administration in eradication of child labour. People can inform him about incidences of child labour on Ph: 2420143 or 9845226967.

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