Karnataka - Mysore   

`More convictions essential to tackle child labour'

Staff Correspondent

Labour, Rural Development departments told to co-ordinate in identifying cases

TRADITIONAL BEGINING: Shivraj V. Patil, Member of National Human Rights Commission, inaugurating a workshop on bonded and child labour eradication in Mysore on Friday. — M.A. SRIRAM

MYSORE: Expressing dissatisfaction over the measures taken to assist rehabilitated bonded labourers in Karnataka, Special Rapporteur of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) K.R. Venugopal on Friday said that concrete steps must be initiated to overcome the social evil.

Mr. Venugopal was presenting the lead paper here for discussion during the one-day review workshop on eradication of child labour and bonded labour in Karnataka. He said there should be more convictions through sustained investigation with respect to cases of child labour that are detected during inspections.

Co-ordination between the Labour Department and the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj also needs to be strengthened, particularly in identifying cases of bonded labour which constitutes around 50 per cent of child labour in the country, he aded.

He said: "For some reason this co-ordination is not taking place, and this is a serious gap that needs to be bridged. "

Suspicious deaths

The Labour Department should pursue suspicious deaths of domestic child labour reported by non-governmental organisations and the Police Department, he said. Five years after chained bonded labourers were rescued from a quarry unit at Hongarahalli village near here, the prosecution of the perpetrators of this crime is still dragging on. Terming the incident as a blot on the human rights record of Karnataka, which is otherwise considered a progressive State, Mr. Venugopal criticised the lackadaisical approach in the prosecution of the offenders. National Human Rights Commission member Shivaraj V. Patil inaugurated the workshop. Principal Secretary, Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, V.P. Baligar; Principal Secretary, Department of Labour, Vatsala Vatsa; and Director General of Abdul Nazir Sab State Institute of Rural Development, C.S. Suranjana; were present.

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