CHENNAI : The State Government has filed a case against members of a household in Kotivakkam here for employing a 13-year-old girl as domestic help. This is the first such case since the ban on employing child labour came into effect on October 10.

Labour Commissioner V. Varaprasada Rao, who noticed the girl working in an independent house, arranged for a team of labour inspectors to take the girl to the local police station where her parents, who lived nearby, were summoned.

The parents reportedly admitted that the girl was 13 and had to discontinue her education after Class IV because of poverty. The parents were daily wage earners, according to the officials. Shanti's two siblings, aged 10 and 8, also had to drop out, but the two younger children were not employed. The labour officials registered a complaint with the police against the employer under the provisions of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. If proven guilty, the employer has to pay a fine of Rs.25,000 and/or face imprisonment up to six months. Labour officials will issue a show cause notice to the employers, which will be followed by legal action.

The three children, meanwhile, have been admitted to a nearby government school, and theKancheepuram district collector has been asked to give priority to the girl's family under the poverty alleviation schemes. The girl herself will be eligible for a monthly stipend of Rs.100 a month, mid-day meals, a set of uniforms, free bus pass, medical check up and vocation training, as part of the rehabilitation package offered to rescued child labourers.

R.K. Khanna, Labour Secretary, said over 24,144 children had been rescued in the state and sent to 671 special schools. He also stressed the need to prosecute, fine or jail the employers, at the launch of the campaign to serve as a deterrent. The department is trying to rope in housing societies and residents' associations to certify that houses and apartments are `Child Labour Free.' It is also considering making registration mandatory for all domestic labourers.

In 2005, 1455 cases were filed against people employing children (in non-domestic sectors) and in 2006, 461 cases had been filed until August. The guilty employers were fined Rs.9.07 lakh.

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