The Hindu : New Delhi News : `Government has failed to rehabilitate child workers'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007
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New Delhi

`Government has failed to rehabilitate child workers'

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Absence of effective laws, education and health care: Experts

UP IN ARMS: School children taking part in a rally organised by the Delhi Government's Labour Department on Tuesday, the International Anti-child Labour Day. Photo: Anu Pushkarna

NEW DELHI: In February this year, 12-year-old Pintoo Kumar was rescued from a house in South Delhi where he was made to work as a domestic help. Maltreated by his employer, deprived of food and subjected to frequent beatings, Pintoo was handed over to the Delhi Government's Labour Department.

However, instead of being rehabilitated and reunited with his family, Pintoo continues to live in a remand home, while his former employer has been let off without any punitive action.

Eight months after the Central Government notified a ban on employment of children below 14 years of age in residences and the hospitality sector, activists working for eradication of child labour assert that the problem persists. They allege that the Government has failed to ensure effective enforcement of the law and has also not devised any rehabilitation scheme for children.

"The fact that Pintoo has not been sent home and no action has been initiated against the family that employed him is proof enough of the Government failing. The least that the Labour Department could have done is to have fined the family and set an example," said Subhash Bhatnagar, a social activist who helped rescue Pintoo.

Absence of education, health care and rehabilitation of rescued children are areas that activists say need immediate attention.

"It is important to understand why children are forced to work. If there is no education and health care and no means of earning livelihood for the parents, children are forced to work. To make the ban work, the Government has to first address these concerns," said Vikram Srivastava, Manager (Development Support) of Child Rights and You (CRY).

According to CRY, there are 41,899 child labourers working in Delhi alone and they are involved in all kinds of work from brick kilns, weaving industry, scissor factories, to cremation grounds, agricultural fields, dhabas, domestic and household chores and even commercial sex. Pushing for strict implementation of the law banning child labour, Mr. Srivastava said: "The Government has to ensure means of livelihood, proper implementation of minimum wage laws for adults and equitable educational opportunities to all. CRY believes that in India child labour is largely the outcome of social inequality."

Pointing out that India has the highest number of child labourers in the world, stakeholders blame insufficient awareness about the basic rights children for their exploitation.

"It will come as a surprise, but in far-flung villages where schools are more than 10 km away, children are keen to study. If you create awareness, provide free and compulsory education and health care, all children will opt for school," said Ashok Agarwal of Social Jurist, a lawyers' collective that works for securing children their right to education.

"Lack of punitive action has contributed to the violation of the law. It is easy to exploit children; there are no checks and no punishments. People walk away without as much as paying a fine."

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