Andhra Pradesh   

Child labour still remains a big challenge Focus

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

SOCIAL EVIL: Boys making ‘puris’ and ‘idlis’ at a roadside food stall before going to school in Visakhapatnam.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Whether it is a mechanic shop, road-side eatery or domestic help, child labour hits one in the eye every day in several walks of life pricking the conscience of the urbanites. But while child labour is being dealt with in a firm manner of late, the grass root-level reasons that cause it can’t be wished away. Most of the child labourers that are found in the city come from Vizianagaram, Srikakulam districts and parts of the neighbouring Orissa.

Shrinking agricultural income, rural indebtedness, death of parents, are some of the reasons for child labour. The most compelling of them is the dire necessity to extend support to the family. Even in some of the households where the child labourers were detected and freed, the consideration was the hapless condition of the family or pressing money needs.

The boys are generally employed in mechanic shops, wayside eateries, tea stalls, bars and even construction while the girls are employed as domestic labour. The wages range from as low as Rs.10 and Rs.15 to a maximum of Rs.60. “Boys are generally put in jobs that will subsequently make them skilled,” says G. Laxminarsaiah, Assistant Labour Officer. Girls are invariably put in domestic labour. About 30 to 40 per cent of the child labourers are orphans or have a single parent. That explains their compulsion to work and support the family. But the treatment meted out to them is unjust stating that there is direct or indirect exploitation, he points out. Unexpressed stress, irregular working hours, easting last are some of them. In one case, a girl had to walk down six stairs. In another case sometime back, a man bet the domestic help for easing herself near a sump.

Labour Department has found that 278 children were employed in jobs in restaurants, bars, households and hazardous operations like factories, automobile workshops, chemical industries and pesticide units during the course of inspections in Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts.

The domestic sector was also brought under the ‘hazardous’ category with effect from October 10, 2006. Of the 278 cases, 10 children were employed as domestic servants, 33 in the hospitality sector and 235 were working in hazardous operations.

“Of the 10 employers in the domestic sector, eight paid the statutory deposit of Rs.20,000 each in name of child concerned. Prosecutions were filed on two employers who contested the claim,” said Deputy Commissioner of Labour M.N. Varahala Reddy. Similarly, in other sectors another 44 employers deposited Rs.20,000 each in the name of the child concerned. The Government would add Rs.5000 and deposit Rs.25,000 in the name of each child.

The entire amount collected was deposited into the District Child Labour Rehabilitation-cum-Welfare Fund of which the District Collector is the chairman.

Under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, children below 14 years should not be employed in any sector. The Labour Department detected 1,747 children working in non-hazardous employments like pan shops and general stores in the district this year. In these cases, the penalty of Rs.20,000 cannot be imposed as anyway because they tend to re-employ. “We prosecute them and impose fines of Rs.100 or Rs.200,” says Mr. Reddy.

The Labour Department is now invoking the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act to collect arrears due to the childl labouer apart from launching prosecution against such employers.

“If the employer admits his mistake and enrols the child in a school during the course of trial, the difference of amount payable to the child is collected and deposited in the name of the child concerned and the Labour Inspector.

On the contrary, if the employer contests the claim, the Labour Department can impose a penalty up to 10 times the difference of wages payable under the Minimum Wages Act.”

The National Child Labour Project (NCLP) has plans to set up as many as 70 Non- Residential Bridge Centres afresh this year.

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