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New light on child labour

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Noted filmmaker Shyam Benegal has said out-of-the-box thinking was needed to bridge the widening gap between the poor and the rich and both Government and civil society have a vital role to play in this.

Mr. Benegal's remark came after a preview here of his latest documentary, "Lost Childhood", produced under the International Labour Organisation's Programme on Elimination of Child Labour.

Highlighting the plight of children working in hazardous industries, the film intends to sensitise society and the parents who send their young children to work in order to "augment" their income.

Mr. Benegal said the development model adopted by our policymakers was also responsible for the problem where the rich were getting richer and the poor poorer. "The media can sensitise and pursue a problem, but only if we work at the inter-personal level can we actually change things. The film can only evoke sympathy. Documentary films are not screened in theatres. They are shown to non-government organisations and in current affairs programme on Doordarshan and satellite channels."

The popular filmmaker said he was compelled to make the documentary as child labour was all-pervasive in the country. "Child labour is such a huge problem in India and we are totally desensitised to it." The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, was the chief guest on the occasion.

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